Shloka 15

Karṇa’s Counsel on Śrī

Fortune) and the Proposed Display before the Exiled Pāṇḍavas (कर्णवचनम् / श्रीप्रदर्शन-प्रस्तावः

Devanagari script

तस्यास्तप:प्रभावेण भर्तृशुश्रूषणेन च । षट्कृत्वस्तत्‌ तु निक्षिप्तमग्ने रेत: कुरूत्तम,कुरुश्रेष्ठी उस देवीने सातों महात्मा सप्तर्षियोंकी पत्नियोंके समान रूप धारण करके अग्निदेवके साथ समागमकी इच्छा की थी; किंतु अरुन्धतीकी तपस्या तथा पति-शुश्रूषाके प्रभावसे वह उनका दिव्य रूप धारण न कर सकी, इसलिये छ: बार ही अग्निके वीर्यको वहाँ डालनेमें सफल हुई

Transliteration

tasyās tapaḥprabhāveṇa bhartṛśuśrūṣaṇena ca | ṣaṭkṛtvas tat tu nikṣiptam agne retaḥ kurūttama ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “By the power of her austerity and by her devoted service to her husband, O best of the Kurus, Agni’s seed could be deposited there only six times.”

Word by Word

• {'tasyāḥ': 'of her', 'tapaḥ-prabhāva': 'the potency/effect of austerity', 'bhartṛ-śuśrūṣaṇa': 'attentive service to one’s husband

• wifely devotion', 'ca': 'and', 'ṣaṭ-kṛtvas': 'six times', 'tat': 'that

• it', 'tu': 'but

• indeed', 'nikṣiptam': 'was placed/deposited/cast', 'agne': 'O Agni

• vocative of Agni (fire-god)', 'retaḥ': 'semen

• seed', 'kurūttama': 'O best of the Kurus (address to a Kuru prince)'}

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• मार्कण्डेय (Mārkaṇḍeya)
• अग्नि (Agni)
• कुरूत्तम (Kurūttama—address to a Kuru prince)
• अरुन्धती (Arundhatī, implied by the accompanying context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical-spiritual principle that tapas (austerity) and bhartṛśuśrūṣaṇa (steadfast, dharmic devotion to one’s spouse) generate a real moral force capable of checking wrongdoing and shaping outcomes, even in narratives involving gods.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya explains that due to the power arising from a woman’s austerity and faithful service to her husband (contextually linked with Arundhatī’s pativratā strength), Agni’s seed could be deposited only six times—indicating a thwarted or limited fulfillment of the intended act.