Shloka 31

Devanagari script

सुप्तश्नाहं वेदनया चिरमित्युपलक्षये । तावत्‌ काल॑ न च मया सुप्तपूर्व कदाचन,मैं समझता हूँ कि मैं वेदनासे व्याकुल होकर देरतक सोता रह गया। उतने समयतक मैं उसके पहले कभी नहीं सोया था

Transliteration

suptaśnāhaṃ vedanayā ciram ity upalakṣaye | tāvat kālaṃ na ca mayā suptapūrvaṃ kadācana ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “I realize that, overwhelmed by pain, I must have slept for a long time. Never before had I ever slept for such a length of time.”

Word by Word

सुप्तःslept / having slept

स्नाहम्I slept

वेदनयाby/with pain

चिरम्for a long time

इतिthus

उपलक्षयेI perceive / I infer

तावत्so much / that long

कालम्time (duration)

नnot

चand

मयाby me

सुप्तपूर्वम्slept before / previously slept (so long)

कदाचनever / at any time

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

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

What is the core teaching?

Pain and affliction can overpower even a disciplined person, altering awareness of time; the verse highlights honest self-assessment and the recognition of human vulnerability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya reflects on an unusual lapse—he infers that intense pain made him sleep far longer than he ever had before, marking a significant moment of bodily distress within the ongoing account.