Shloka 42

Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 47 — Janamejaya’s Sarpa-satra: Vow, Preparation, and the Onset of the Serpent Offering

Devanagari script

अस्त्ययं सुभगे गर्भस्तव वैश्वानरोपम: । ऋषि: परमधर्मात्मा वेदवेदाड़पारग:,सुभगे! “अयं अस्ति'--तुम्हारे उदरमें गर्भ है। तुम्हारा यह गर्भस्थ बालक अग्निके समान तेजस्वी, परम धर्मात्मा मुनि तथा वेद-वेदांगोंका पारंगत विद्वान होगा”

Transliteration

asty ayaṁ subhage garbhas tava vaiśvānara-upamaḥ | ṛṣiḥ paramadharmātmā vedavedaṅga-pāragaḥ, subhage |

Translation

Takṣaka said: “O fortunate lady, you indeed carry a child in your womb. This unborn son will be radiant like fire, a sage of the highest righteousness, and a master who has crossed to the far shore of the Vedas and their auxiliary disciplines.”

Word by Word

• अस्ति: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथम, एकवचन

• अयम्: this (one/this)
• अयम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सुभगे: O fortunate lady
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुभग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• गर्भः: embryo/child in the womb
• गर्भः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तव: your/of you
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: —, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• वैश्वानर-उपमः: comparable to Vaiśvānara (fire-like)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैश्वानर (प्रातिपदिक) + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ऋषिः: sage
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• परम-धर्मात्मा: supremely righteous (of highest dharma)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + धर्मात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वेद-वेदाङ्ग-पारगः: one who has mastered the Vedas and Vedāṅgas
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + वेदाङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + पारग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सुभगे: O fortunate lady
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुभग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

तक्षक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Takṣaka
• Vaiśvānara (Fire)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse praises the ideal of dharmic excellence: true greatness is framed as inner righteousness (parama-dharma-ātmā) joined with disciplined learning (mastery of Veda and Vedāṅgas) and spiritual radiance (fire-like tejas).

What is happening in the narrative?

Takṣaka addresses a woman as “fortunate” and foretells the extraordinary qualities of the child in her womb—radiant like fire, destined to be a righteous ṛṣi and a consummate Vedic scholar.