Shloka 23

Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)

Devanagari script

पुण्याभ्यश्व सरिद्धयस्त्वं सदा पुण्यतमा शुभे

Transliteration

puṇyābhyāśva sariddhayas tvaṃ sadā puṇyatamā śubhe

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O auspicious lady, you are ever the most meritorious—one whose very approach brings holiness and well-being, like sacred rivers that confer purity.”

Word by Word

• पुण्याभिः: by/with meritorious (things/acts)
• पुण्याभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Plural

• अश्व: O horse
• अश्व: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• सरिद्धयः: river-successes / prosperities like rivers (i.e., abundant prosperities)
• सरिद्धयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरिद्धि
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Nominative, Singular

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा
• Form: true

• पुण्यतमा: most meritorious / very auspicious
• पुण्यतमा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्यतम
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• शुभे: O auspicious one
• शुभे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ
• Form: Feminine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical idea that true auspiciousness is measured by puṇya (merit): a person of steady virtue becomes a source of purification and well-being for others, comparable to sacred rivers.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, addresses an auspicious female figure with reverent praise, emphasizing her constant holiness and the beneficial, purifying effect of her presence.