Shloka 243

Suvarṇa-dāna: Kārttikeya’s Origin and the Defeat of Tāraka (सुवर्णदान-प्रसङ्गे कार्त्तिकेय-उत्पत्ति तथा तारकवधः)

Devanagari script

तच्च मे शृणु कारत्स्न्येन वदतो बलसूदन । 'सुरभी गौएँ पुण्यकर्म करनेवाली और शुभ-लक्षणा होती हैं। सुरश्रेष्ठ! बलसूदन! वे जिस उद्देश्यसे पृथ्वीपर गयी हैं, उसको भी मैं पूर्णरूपसे बता रहा हूँ, सुनो

Transliteration

tac ca me śṛṇu kārtsnyena vadataḥ balasūdana | surabhī gāvaḥ puṇyakarma-karaṇīyaḥ śubha-lakṣaṇāś ca bhavanti | suraśreṣṭha balasūdana | yasmād arthāt pṛthivyāṃ gatāḥ, tam api te sampūrṇarūpeṇa vakṣyāmi—śṛṇu ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “Listen to me fully, O Balasūdana, as I speak. The Surabhī cows are auspicious in their marks and are agents of meritorious action. O best among the gods, O slayer of Bala—hear also in complete detail the very purpose for which they came down to the earth.”

Word by Word

• {'tac ca': 'and that (also)', 'me': 'to/for me

• my', 'śṛṇu': 'hear

• listen', 'kārtsnyena': 'completely

• in full', 'vadataḥ': 'of (me) speaking

• as I speak', 'balasūdana': 'O slayer of Bala (epithet of Kṛṣṇa/Viṣṇu/Indra in praise)', 'surabhī': 'Surabhī

• source-line of celestial cows', 'gāvaḥ': 'cows', 'puṇya': 'merit

• sacred virtue', 'karma': 'action

• ritual act', 'puṇyakarma-karaṇīyaḥ': 'those through whom meritorious acts are performed / who enable merit', 'śubha': 'auspicious

• благоприятный', 'lakṣaṇa': 'mark

• characteristic', 'suraśreṣṭha': 'best among the gods', 'pṛthivī': 'earth', 'gataḥ/gatāḥ': 'gone

• arrived', 'artha': 'purpose

• intention', 'sampūrṇarūpeṇa': 'in a complete manner

• fully', 'vakṣyāmi': 'I shall tell

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Balasūdana (epithet addressed to Kṛṣṇa)
• Surabhī
• gāvaḥ (cows)
• Pṛthivī (Earth)