Shloka 31

Ādi-parva Adhyāya 98 — Paraśurāma’s kṣatriya suppression; Dīrghatamas, Bali, Sudēṣṇā, and the birth of Aṅga

Devanagari script

तामुवाच ततो राजा सान्त्वयज्शलक्ष्णया गिरा | देवी वा दानवी वा त्वं गन्धर्वी चाथ वाप्सरा:,तब राजा शान्तनु उसे सान्त्वना देते हुए मधुर वाणीमें बोले--'सुमध्यमे! तुम देवी, दानवी, गन्धर्वी, अप्सरा, यक्षी, नागकन्या अथवा मानवी, कुछ भी क्‍यों न होओ; देवकन्याके समान सुशोभित होनेवाली सुन्दरी! मैं तुमसे याचना करता हूँ कि मेरी पत्नी हो जाओ'

Transliteration

tām uvāca tato rājā sāntvayaj-ślakṣṇayā girā | devī vā dānavī vā tvaṃ gandharvī cātha vāpsarāḥ ||

Translation

Then the king addressed her in a gentle, soothing, and refined voice: “Whether you are a goddess or a demoness, a Gandharvī or an Apsarā—whoever you may be.”

Word by Word

ताम्her

उवाचsaid/spoke

ततःthen/thereupon

राजाthe king

सान्त्वयत्consoled/soothed

शलक्ष्णयाwith gentle/smooth

गिराspeech/voice

देवीa goddess

वाor

दानवीa demoness (of the Dānavas)

वाor

त्वम्you

गन्धर्वीa Gandharva-woman

चand

अथor else/then

वाor

अप्सराan apsaras (celestial nymph)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Śāntanu

the unnamed woman (later identified in the narrative as Gaṅgā)

Devas (as a class)

Dānavas (as a class)

Gandharvas (as a class)

Apsarās (as a class)

Sandhi Notes