Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सा नियुक्ता पितुर्गेहि देवता5तिथिपूजने । उग्र पर्यचरत्‌ तत्र ब्राह्मणं संशितव्रतम्‌,पिता कुन्तिभोजके घरपर पृथाकों देवताओंके पूजन और अतिथियोंके सत्कारका कार्य सौंपा गया था। एक समय वहाँ कठोर व्रतका पालन करनेवाले तथा धर्मके विषयमें अपने निश्चयको सदा गुप्त रखनेवाले एक ब्राह्मण महर्षि आये, जिन्हें लोग दुर्वासाके नामसे जानते हैं। पृथा उनकी सेवा करने लगी। वे बड़े उग्र स्वभावके थे। उनका हृदय बड़ा कठोर था; फिर भी राजकुमारी पृथाने सब प्रकारके यत्नोंसे उन्हें पूर्ण संतुष्ट कर लिया

Transliteration

sā niyuktā pitur gehe devatātithipūjane | ugraṃ paryacarat tatra brāhmaṇaṃ saṃśitavratam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: In her father’s household, Pṛthā had been entrusted with the duties of worshipping the gods and honoring guests. At that time she diligently attended upon a brāhmaṇa there—one of austere vows and a fierce temperament—serving him with disciplined care, as required by dharma and hospitality.

Word by Word

साshe (Pṛthā/Kuntī)

नियुक्ताappointed/assigned

पितुःof (her) father

गेहेin the house

देवताऽतिथिपूजनेin the worship of deities and honoring of guests

उग्रम्the fierce one

पर्यचरत्served/attended upon

तत्रthere

ब्राह्मणम्a Brahmin

संशितव्रतम्of sharpened/strict vows (austere)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pṛthā (Kuntī)

Kuntībhoja (implied as father/guardian in context)

a brāhmaṇa sage (Durvāsā in the surrounding narrative)

deities (devatāḥ)

guests (atithi)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights atithi-dharma and disciplined service: honoring guests and maintaining worship are central household duties, and even when a guest is difficult or fierce, one should uphold dharma through respectful, steady care.

What is happening in the narrative?

Pṛthā, assigned to manage worship and guest-honoring in her father’s home, begins attending upon an austere brāhmaṇa of fierce nature—setting the stage for the well-known episode involving the sage Durvāsā and the testing of her conduct.