Shloka 34

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

Sanskrit

धिगमर्षं तथा मद्यमतिमानमभीरुताम् ।

यैराविष्टेन सुमहन्मया पापमिदं कृतम् ॥

Transliteration

dhig amarṣaṃ tathā madyam atimānam abhīrutām |

yair āviṣṭena sumahan mayā pāpam idaṃ kṛtam ||

Translation

Wehe dem Zorn und dem Rausch, dem übermäßigen Stolz und der Feigheit—von ihnen besessen habe ich diese große Sünde begangen.

Word by Word

• dhik: fie! shame on!
• dhik: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/भावार्थ-निन्दा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhik (अव्यय)
• Form: निन्दार्थक-अव्यय (indeclinable of censure/exclamation)

• amarṣam: anger, intolerance
• amarṣam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amarṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• tathā: and also; likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अन्वयार्थक-अव्यय (adverb/conjunction: 'also/and so')

• madya: of liquor; intoxication
• madya: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद (as first member)

• matimānam: one who is proud/overconfident
• matimānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: matimān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying implied 'me/one')

• abhīrutām: fearlessness, rashness
• abhīrutām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhīrutā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; भाववाचक (abstract noun)

• yaiḥ: by which; by whom
• yaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• āviṣṭena: being possessed/overcome (by them)
• āviṣṭena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-viś (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय) → āviṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भावे (past passive participle: 'possessed/overcome')

• su: very; greatly
• su: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद-निपात (intensifier 'very')

• mahat: great
• mahat: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'pāpam')

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Kartr̥ (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन

• pāpam: sin, evil deed
• pāpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• idam: this
• idam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'pāpam')

• kṛtam: done; committed
• kṛtam: Kriyā (क्रिया/भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत्) → kṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) — 'has been done' (with implied 'asti')

Speakers

• Unspecified in provided input (verse is in first-person self-reproach within a dialogue/narrative frame)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Ethics
• Self-control
• Consequences of vice

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse identifies four inner faults—anger, intoxication, arrogance, and cowardice—as forces that ‘possess’ a person and precipitate grave wrongdoing. Ethically, it teaches accountability (the speaker owns the sin) while also diagnosing the psychological roots that must be restrained through self-discipline and dharmic conduct.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This verse is not primarily sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita material; it functions as dharma-upadeśa (ethical instruction) within the Purāṇic narrative framework. If mapped loosely, it supports vaṃśānucarita-style storytelling by providing moral reflection within a character episode rather than cosmological or genealogical data.

What is the esoteric significance?

Esoterically, the ‘possession’ by anger, intoxication, pride, and fear can be read as the takeover of buddhi (discernment) by tamas and rajas, eclipsing sattva. The confession implies an inner battle: liberation begins when one recognizes these kleśa-like forces and withdraws identification from them, restoring clarity and courage aligned with dharma.