Shloka 4

Mahāvasu’s Fall by Speech-Error and Release through Devotion (अज-विवादः वसोः शापः विमोचनं च)

Devanagari script

सा च दष्ट्वा तदा व्यासं कामसंविग्नमानसम्‌ | शुकी भूत्वा महाराज घृताची समुपागमत्‌

Transliteration

sā ca dṛṣṭvā tadā vyāsaṃ kāmasaṃvignamānasam | śukī bhūtvā mahārāja ghṛtācī samupāgamat, yudhiṣṭhira |

Translation

Bhishma said: “Seeing Vyasa then, his mind agitated by desire, the Apsaras Ghritachi—O great king, O Yudhishthira—assumed the form of a female parrot (Śukī) and approached him.”

Word by Word

• सा: she (that one)
• सा: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral)

• तदा: then, at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• व्यासम्: Vyasa
• व्यासम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• काम-संविग्न-मानसम्: whose mind was agitated by desire
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानस
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शुकी: Shuki (a female parrot / named form)
• शुकी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुकी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• भूत्वा: having become
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund)

• महा-राज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• घृताची: Ghritachi (an apsaras)
• घृताची: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: घृताची
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• समुपागमत्: approached
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada, सम्+उप

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Yudhishthira
• Vyasa
• Ghritachi (Apsaras)
• Śukī (female parrot form)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even great sages can experience agitation of mind when confronted with sensual temptation; the episode highlights the ethical need for vigilance, self-restraint, and awareness of how desire (kāma) can disturb inner steadiness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma narrates that Vyasa, upon seeing the Apsaras Ghritachi, becomes mentally disturbed by desire; perceiving this, Ghritachi approaches him after taking the form of a female parrot (Śukī).