Shloka 51

Devanagari script

ततस्तामब्रवीद्‌ देव: सुभगे श्रूयतामिति । हेतुभियर्ममतानि रूपाणि रुचिरानने,तत्पश्चात्‌ उन्होंने पार्ववीजीसे कहा--“सुभगे! रुचिरानने! जिन हेतुओंसे मेरे ये रूप हुए हैं, उन्हें बता रहा हूँ, सुनो

Transliteration

tatastām abravīd devaḥ subhage śrūyatām iti | hetubhir mama tāni rūpāṇi rucirānane ||

Translation

Then the god addressed her: “O fortunate one, O fair-faced lady—listen. I shall explain the reasons by which these forms of mine have come to be.”

Word by Word

ततःthen/from there

ताम्her

अब्रवीत्said/spoke

देवःthe god

सुभगेO fortunate one

श्रूयताम्let it be heard / listen

इतिthus

हेतुभिःby/with causes

यैःby which

ममof me / my

एतानिthese

रूपाणिforms

रुचिराननेO lovely-faced one

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

deva (a god)

a addressed woman (subhagā / rucirānanā)

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 frames an ethical-instructional moment: divine status and outward forms are not arbitrary but arise from identifiable causes (hetu). It emphasizes attentive listening and reasoned explanation—key virtues in dharma discourse.

What is happening in the narrative?

A god addresses a woman respectfully (“fortunate,” “fair-faced”) and invites her to listen, announcing that he will explain the causes behind his various forms or manifestations.