Shloka 12
Karṇa’s Counsel on Śrī
Fortune) and the Proposed Display before the Exiled Pāṇḍavas (कर्णवचनम् / श्रीप्रदर्शन-प्रस्तावः
Devanagari script
(नदीप्रस्रवणोपेत॑ं नानातरुसमाचितम् ।) सा तत्र सहसा गत्वा शैलपृष्ठं सुदुर्गमम्
Transliteration
sā tatra sahasā gatvā śailapṛṣṭhaṁ sudurgamam
Translation
Mārkaṇḍeya said: She then went there at once and reached a mountain ridge that was exceedingly difficult to access.
Word by Word
sāshe
sā:
Karta
TypeNoun
Roottad (sarvanāma-prātipadika)
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
tatrathere
tatra:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Roottatra (avyaya)
sahasāsuddenly, quickly
sahasā:
Karana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootsahasā (avyaya)
gatvāhaving gone
gatvā:
TypeVerb
Rootgam (dhātu)
Formktvā (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)
śaila-pṛṣṭhamthe mountain-back/slope
śaila-pṛṣṭham:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootśaila + pṛṣṭha (prātipadika)
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
su-durgamamvery difficult to traverse
su-durgamam:
TypeAdjective
Rootsu + durgama (prātipadika)
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
Speaker
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Characters & Entities
M
Mārkaṇḍeya (speaker)A
a woman (unnamed in this pāda)Ś
śailapṛṣṭha (mountain ridge/crest)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
The verse foregrounds swift, determined action in the face of difficulty: when duty or necessity presses, one should not be paralyzed by obstacles but proceed with resolve and endurance.
In Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration, a woman abruptly sets out and reaches a perilous, hard-to-access mountain ridge, signaling a turning point or urgent step in the unfolding episode.