Shloka 18

Adhyaya 6 — Balarama’s Dilemma, Drunken Wanderings in Revata’s Grove, and the Slaying of the Suta

Sanskrit

चकोरैः शातपत्रैश्च भृङ्गराजैस्तथा शुकैः । कोकिलैः कलविङ्कैश्च हारितैर् जोवजीवकैः ॥

Transliteration

cakoraiḥ śātapatraiś ca bhṛṅgarājais tathā śukaiḥ / kokilaiḥ kalaviṅkaiś ca hārītair jovajīvakaiḥ

Translation

Mit Cakora‑Vögeln, Śātapatra‑Vögeln, Bhṛṅgarāja‑Vögeln und Papageien; mit Kuckucken, Kalaviṅka‑Vögeln sowie auch mit Hārīta‑ und Jīvaka‑Vögeln.

Word by Word

चकोरैःwith cakora birds

शातपत्रैःwith śātapatra (birds)

चand

भृङ्गराजैःwith bhṛṅgarāja birds

तथाalso

शुकैःwith parrots

कोकिलैःwith cuckoos

कलविङ्कैःwith kalaviṅka birds

चand

हारितैःwith hārīta birds

जोवजीवकैःwith jīvajīvaka birds

Speakers

Narratorial description within the Markandeya Purana’s early narrative (not the Devi Mahatmyam battle-dialogue)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

Sacred geography / ashrama ambianceAuspicious natural imageryPoetic cataloguing (flora/fauna)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse functions as auspicious scene-setting: a dharmic space is portrayed as harmonized with nature. In Purāṇic aesthetics, an ordered, non-violent soundscape of birds suggests sattva—an inner and outer environment conducive to tapas, study, and right conduct.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Indirectly supportive rather than a core pañcalakṣaṇa item. It does not state sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita directly; it serves narrative texture around the larger vaṃśānucarita-style storytelling and ashrama framing.

What is the esoteric significance?

Bird-calls in Sanskrit tradition often symbolize the Veda’s ‘sound’ and the mind’s movements. A chorus of varied birds can be read as multiplicity of voices resolved into a single harmonious field—hinting that diverse beings and impulses can be integrated under dharma in a purified setting.