का त्वं कस्य कलत्रं वा कस्यासि तनया सती । किमिदं तेंगने बाल्ये दुःसहं शोकलक्षणम्
kā tvaṃ kasya kalatraṃ vā kasyāsi tanayā satī | kimidaṃ teṃgane bālye duḥsahaṃ śokalakṣaṇam
Who are you? Whose wife are you, or whose virtuous daughter? And why, O slender-limbed one, do you bear in your very childhood these unbearable marks of grief?
Unspecified (a questioner addressing a grieving girl/woman in the narrative)
Scene: A concerned figure addresses a young, slender-limbed girl/woman marked by grief; the setting suggests a forest path, hermitage, or liminal sacred space where stories are revealed.
Dharma begins with compassionate inquiry—recognizing suffering and seeking truthful context before offering guidance or help.
No holy site is named in this verse; it is interpersonal dialogue within the chapter’s narrative.
None; the verse is an inquiry into identity and the cause of sorrow.