Shloka 51

Jabali Bound by the Monkey — Jabali Bound by the Monkey: Nandayanti’s Ordeal and the Yamuna–Hiranyavati Sacred Corridor

Devanagari script

ततः सा देवदेवेशं श्रीकण्ठं लोकवन्दितम् प्रतिवन्द्य ततो ऽपश्यक्षरांस्तान्महामुने

Transliteration

tataḥ sā devadeveśaṃ śrīkaṇṭhaṃ lokavanditam prativandya tato 'paśyakṣarāṃstānmahāmune

Translation

Darauf verneigte sie sich ehrfürchtig vor dem Herrn der Götter, Śrīkaṇṭha, den die Welten verehren; und danach, o großer Weiser, erblickte sie jene Silben/Buchstaben.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), temporal adverb (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• देवदेवेशम्: Lord of the gods
• देवदेवेशम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + देवेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानां देवेशः)

• श्रीकण्ठम्: Śrīkaṇṭha (Śiva)
• श्रीकण्ठम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीकण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् कण्ठः यस्य)

• लोकवन्दितम्: worshipped by the world
• लोकवन्दितम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोक + वन्दित (वन्द् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लोकैः वन्दितः)

• प्रतिवन्द्य: having bowed/saluted
• प्रतिवन्द्य: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + वन्द् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having saluted’

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, temporal adverb

• अपश्यत्: she saw
• अपश्यत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• अक्षरान्: letters/syllables
• अक्षरान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• महामुने: O great sage
• महामुने: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् मुनिः)

Speakers

• Narrative voice addressing a sage (mahāmune) while recounting the woman’s encounter at Śaṅkara-sthāna.

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Śrīkaṇṭha)

Key Themes

• Darśana and reverential salutation (vandana)
• Śiva-stuti via epithets (devadeveśa, lokavandita)
• Revelation through ‘akṣara’ (sacred syllables/inscriptions/mantric letters)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the likely sense of akṣarān (‘letters/syllables’) in this context?

Akṣara can mean (1) written characters (an inscription, divine writing), (2) sacred syllables (mantric phonemes), or (3) ‘imperishable’ Brahman in philosophical usage. Given ‘she saw those akṣaras’ after saluting Śiva, the narrative most naturally suggests a visible set of sacred letters—either an inscription at the tīrtha or a visionary manifestation of mantric syllables.

Why is Śiva called Śrīkaṇṭha here?

Śrīkaṇṭha is a common Śaiva epithet. It resonates with the broader mythic complex of Śiva’s throat (notably nīlakaṇṭha after consuming the halāhala), and functions as a devotional identifier in tīrtha narratives to anchor the site’s presiding deity.

What does lokavandita contribute to the verse’s meaning?

It universalizes the deity’s authority: the local tīrtha is not merely a regional shrine but a locus of the same Śiva revered across all worlds, thereby intensifying the tīrtha’s prestige and expected spiritual efficacy.