Shloka 4.19.18

ताराविलापः — Tara’s Lament and Counsel after Vali’s Fall

Devanagari script

पुत्रेण मम किं कार्यं राज्येनच किमात्मना।कपिसिंहे महाभागे तस्मिन्भर्तरि नश्यति।।

Transliteration

putreṇa mama kiṃ kāryaṃ rājyena ca kim ātmanā | kapisiṃhe mahābhāge tasmin bhartari naśyati ||

Translation

“What use to me are a son, a kingdom, or even my own life, when my glorious husband—Vāli, the lion among monkeys—is perishing?”

Context

'Now that the glorious Vali, a lion among monkeys, my husband is dying, of what purpose is the son, or the kingdom or my own life?

Characters & Entities

• Tārā
• Vāli
• Aṅgada (implied by ‘son’)
• kingdom (rājya)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Satya about impermanence and attachment: power and succession are secondary when confronted with the immediate truth of death and grief.

What is the narrative situation?

Tārā rejects political proposals for immediate coronation, overwhelmed by the imminent loss of Vāli.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Marital fidelity and emotional honesty—she speaks truthfully from sorrow rather than calculation.