Shloka 9

Āraṇyaka-parva Adhyāya 277 — Sāvitrī-Upākhyāna: Aśvapati’s Vows and Sāvitrī’s Birth; Search for a Suitable Husband Begins

Devanagari script

तेषां समक्ष गन्धर्वी दुन्दुभीं नाम नामतः । शशास वरदो देवो गच्छ कार्यार्थसिद्धये,फिर वरदायक देवता ब्रह्माजीने उन सबके सामने ही दुन्दुभी नामवाली गन्धर्वीको आज्ञा दी कि "तुम भी देवताओंका कार्य सिद्ध करनेके लिये भूतलपर जाओ

Transliteration

teṣāṁ samakṣa gandharvī dundubhīṁ nāma nāmataḥ | śaśāsa varado devo gaccha kāryārthasiddhaye ||

Translation

Vor ihnen allen sprach die gnadenverleihende Gottheit die Gandharvī namens Dundubhī an und befahl: „Geh zur Erde, um das Werk der Götter zum Gelingen zu bringen.“

Word by Word

तेषाम्of them

समक्षम्in the presence (of)

गन्धर्वीthe Gandharva-woman

दुन्दुभीम्Dundubhī (name of the Gandharvī)

नामname

नामतःby name / as to name

शशासcommanded / ordered

वरदःboon-giving

देवःthe god

गच्छgo

कार्यार्थसिद्धयेfor the accomplishment of the purpose (of the task)

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Dundubhī (Gandharvī)

Varada Deva (boon-granting deity; contextually Brahmā in the Gītā Press Hindi gloss)

Earth (bhūtala)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights duty (kārya) performed under legitimate divine instruction: even exalted beings must act to uphold a larger purpose, suggesting that ethical action is aligned with rightful authority and the maintenance of cosmic order.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration, a boon‑granting deity issues a direct command in the presence of others, instructing the Gandharvī Dundubhī to go down to the earth to help accomplish the gods’ intended task.