Shloka 38

Duḥṣanta at Kaṇva-Āśrama; Śakuntalā’s Reception and Origin Prelude (दुःषन्तस्य कण्वाश्रमागमनम्)

Devanagari script

इत्येष वंशप्रभव: कथितस्ते तरस्विनाम्‌ | असुराणां सुराणां च पुराणे संश्रुतो मया,राजन! मैंने पुराणमें जैसा सुन रखा है, उसके अनुसार तुमसे यह वेगशाली असुरों और देवताओंके वंशकी उत्पत्तिका वृत्तान्त बताया है

Transliteration

ity eṣa vaṁśa-prabhavaḥ kathitas te tarasvinām | asurāṇāṁ surāṇāṁ ca purāṇe saṁśruto mayā, rājan |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Así, oh rey, te he narrado el origen de los linajes de los poderosos—tanto de los Asuras como de los Devas—tal como lo he oído preservado en la tradición puránica».

Word by Word

इतिthus

एषःthis

वंश-प्रभवःorigin of the lineage

कथितःtold/related

तेto you

तरस्विनाम्of the swift/impetuous (ones)

असुराणाम्of the Asuras

सुराणाम्of the Devas

चand

पुराणेin the Purana

संश्रुतःheard/learned (as tradition)

मयाby me

राजन्O king

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Rājan (the king, i.e., Janamejaya as listener)

Asuras

Suras/Devas

Purāṇa (traditional lore)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes the authority of received tradition (śruti/smṛti-style transmission): the narrator presents genealogical-cosmic knowledge as faithfully heard from ancient Purāṇic lore, underscoring humility and reliability in narration.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana concludes a section describing the origins and lineages of the Devas and Asuras, telling the king (Janamejaya) that he has reported it as preserved in the Purāṇas.