Shloka 90

The Discourse of Rukmāṅgada

Prabodhinī Ekādaśī, Kārtika-vrata, and Satya-dharma

Devanagari script

अश्वमेधसहस्रेभ्यः सत्यमेव विशिष्यते । मदिरापानतुल्येन कर्मणा लिप्यसेऽनृतात् ॥ ९० ॥

Transliteration

aśvamedhasahasrebhyaḥ satyameva viśiṣyate | madirāpānatulyena karmaṇā lipyase'nṛtāt || 90 ||

Translation

Truth alone is superior even to a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices. By the act of falsehood, one is stained by karma, as though by drinking intoxicating liquor.

Word by Word

• aśvamedha-sahasrebhyaḥ: than thousands of Aśvamedha sacrifices
• aśvamedha-sahasrebhyaḥ: Apadana (अपादान/comparison source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvamedha (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Plural; तत्पुरुषः (aśvamedhānām sahasrebhyaḥ)

• satyam: truth
• satyam: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• eva: alone / indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/restriction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Restrictive particle (अवधारण-निपात)

• viśiṣyate: is superior
• viśiṣyate: Kriya (क्रिया/verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-śiṣ (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular, Ātmanepada; intransitive/passive-like sense “is superior/distinguished”

• madirā-pāna-tulyena: by (a deed) equal to drinking liquor
• madirā-pāna-tulyena: Karana (करण/instrumental of comparison/means)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madirā (प्रातिपदिक) + pāna (प्रातिपदिक) + tulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; तत्पुरुषः (madirāyāḥ pānena tulyena)

• karmaṇā: by an act
• karmaṇā: Karana (करण/instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• lipyase: you are tainted
• lipyase: Kriya (क्रिया/verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: lip (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular, Ātmanepada; passive sense “you are tainted/smeared”

• anṛtāt: from falsehood / by untruth
• anṛtāt: Apadana (अपादान/source-cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular

Speaker

Unspecified (gnomic/aphoristic verse; speaker not indicated in the excerpt).

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Characters & Entities

• Aśvamedha
• satya (truth)
• anṛta (falsehood)
• madirā (intoxicating liquor)

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