Shloka 17

Matsya Purana — Devayānī and Śarmiṣṭhā’s Quarrel

Devanagari script

का त्वं चारुमुखी श्यामा सुमृष्टमणिकुण्डला दीर्घं ध्यायसि चात्यर्थं कस्माच्छ्वसिषि चातुरा //

Transliteration

kā tvaṃ cārumukhī śyāmā sumṛṣṭamaṇikuṇḍalā dīrghaṃ dhyāyasi cātyarthaṃ kasmācchvasiṣi cāturā //

Translation

Who are you—dark-complexioned, lovely-faced, wearing well-polished jeweled earrings? Why do you brood so long and so intensely, and why do you sigh so restlessly?

Word by Word

• kā: who (feminine)

• tvam: you

• cāru-mukhī: lovely-faced woman

• śyāmā: dark-hued/black-complexioned (also ‘the slender/dusky one’)

• su-mṛṣṭa: well-polished, finely adorned

• maṇi-kuṇḍalā: having jeweled earrings

• dīrgham: for a long time

• dhyāyasi: you meditate/brood/ponder

• ca: and

• atyartham: excessively, very intensely

• kasmāt: for what reason/why

• chvasiṣi: you sigh/breathe heavily

• cāturā: quick/restless/alert (a woman of lively disposition)

Speaker

• Unspecified male speaker in the narrative (a question addressed to a woman; precise attribution not explicit from the single verse alone)

Tags

• Dialogue
• Emotional-state
• Narrative
• Inquiry
• Character-description

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

This verse does not directly discuss Pralaya; it is a narrative question focusing on identifying a woman and probing the cause of her intense brooding and sighing.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

Indirectly, it models attentive inquiry: a ruler/householder is encouraged in Dharma literature to notice distress in others and ask its cause before acting—an ethic of discernment and compassionate governance.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; it is primarily descriptive (ornaments, demeanor) and dialogic.