Shloka 8

उलूकदूतवाक्यम् / Ulūka’s Message to the Pāṇḍavas

Devanagari script

निर्जित्य नरक॑ भौममाह्त्य मणिकुण्डले । षोडश स्त्रीसहसत्राणि रत्नानि विविधानि च

Transliteration

nirjitya narakaṁ bhaumam āhṛtya maṇikuṇḍale | ṣoḍaśa strīsahasrāṇi ratnāni vividhāni ca ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Having conquered Naraka, the son of Bhūmi, and having brought away the jeweled earrings, he also recovered sixteen thousand women and many kinds of precious gems.

Word by Word

• निर्जित्य: having conquered
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√जि (जि)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)

• नरकम्: Naraka (the demon/king)
• नरकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• भौमम्: Bhūma’s son; Bhauma (epithet of Naraka)
• भौमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भौम
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• आहृत्य: having brought/taken away
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√हृ (हृ)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)

• मणिकुण्डले: the jewel(-set) earrings (pair)
• मणिकुण्डले: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकुण्डल
• Form: neuter, accusative, dual

• षोडश: sixteen
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश
• Form: true

• स्त्री: women
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री
• Form: feminine

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र
• Form: neuter, accusative, plural

• रत्नानि: gems, treasures
• रत्नानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्न
• Form: neuter, accusative, plural

• विविधानि: various, diverse
• विविधानि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध
• Form: neuter, accusative, plural

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

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Naraka
• Bhauma (son of Bhūmi)
• Bhūmi (Earth)
• maṇikuṇḍala (jeweled earrings)
• ṣoḍaśa strīsahasrāṇi (sixteen thousand women)
• ratnāni (gems/treasures)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames righteous power as the subduing of a wrongdoer and the restoration of what was unjustly taken—especially the freeing of captives and the recovery of stolen valuables—reflecting a ruler’s dharmic responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana recounts that Naraka (Bhauma) was defeated; prized ornaments (jeweled earrings) and diverse treasures were retrieved, and sixteen thousand women who had been held were recovered.