Shloka 42

Kuru's Consecration — Kuru’s Consecration and the Sanctification of Samantapañcaka (Kurukshetra)

Devanagari script

अष्टौ सहस्राणि धरनुर्धराणां ये वारयन्तीह सुदुष्कृतान् वै स्नातुं न यच्छन्ति महोग्ररूपास्तवन्यस्य भूताः सचराचराणाम्

Transliteration

aṣṭau sahasrāṇi dharanurdharāṇāṃ ye vārayantīha suduṣkṛtān vai snātuṃ na yacchanti mahograrūpāstavanyasya bhūtāḥ sacarācarāṇām

Translation

Here there are eight thousand mighty bearers of the earth—guardian beings—who restrain the truly wicked. Of exceedingly terrible form, they do not allow them to bathe; these beings belong to that Lord and protect all creatures, moving and unmoving.

Word by Word

• aṣṭau: eight
• aṣṭau: Saṅkhyā-viśeṣaṇa (संख्याविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
• Form: Numeral (संख्यावाचक), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); agreeing with implied 'guardians/ones'

• sahasrāṇi: thousands
• sahasrāṇi: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); used as count-unit with aṣṭau (eight thousands)

• dhara-nurdharāṇām: of the bearers and bow-bearers (supporters/archers)
• dhara-nurdharāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhara (प्रातिपदिक) + nurdhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva (द्वन्द्व) compound (co-ordinate); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Relative pronoun (यद्), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• vārayanti: ward off, restrain
• vārayanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛ (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्, Present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); causative sense 'to prevent/ward off' (णिच्-भाव implied by usage)

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb of place (देशवाचक अव्यय)

• suduṣkṛtān: very wicked (people)
• suduṣkṛtān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (अव्यय) + duṣkṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) intensifying compound; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Nipāta (निपात/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निश्चयार्थक निपात)

• snātum: to bathe
• snātum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमुन्), purpose sense

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध निपात)

• yacchanti: allow, permit
• yacchanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yam (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्, Present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• mahā-ugra-rūpāḥ: of very fierce form
• mahā-ugra-rūpāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ugra (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) multi-member compound; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); adjective qualifying bhūtāḥ/ye

• tava: of you, your
• tava: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• anyasya: of another
• anyasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुं), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhūtāḥ: beings, spirits
• bhūtāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक; √bhū-कृत)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• sa-carācarāṇām: of (all) moving and unmoving beings
• sa-carācarāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (अव्यय) + cara (प्रातिपदिक) + acara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva (द्वन्द्व) compound with prefix sa- 'with'; Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन); collective 'of moving and non-moving'

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada (typical narrative frame for tīrtha-māhātmya sections)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (implied by 'śivaś ca' in the immediate context of the passage)
• Viṣṇu (not explicit here; non-sectarian frame may still apply at chapter level)

Key Themes

• Tīrtha-māhātmya
• Ritual purity via snāna
• Moral eligibility (adhikāra) for sacred rites
• Protection of sacred space

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Tīrtha-snāna is not treated as a mechanical purifier for deliberate wrongdoing; the text emphasizes moral fitness. The 'fierce guardians' symbolize that sacred merit (puṇya) is approached through restraint, repentance, and right conduct—not by exploiting ritual as a loophole.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This belongs chiefly to Vamśānucarita/Ākhyāna-adjacent material in Purāṇas (narrative discourse) but functionally it is a Māhātmya (glorification of a sacred place). It is not sarga/pratisarga; it is a tīrtha-vidhi and tīrtha-stuti segment embedded in the larger Purāṇic narration.

What is the symbolic significance?

The 'earth-bearers' and 'terrible-formed beings' function as dharma-bound gatekeepers: sacred geography is portrayed as alive, guarded, and ethically responsive. The moving/immoving totality (sacarācara) underscores cosmic order—tīrtha is a microcosm of ṛta/dharma.