Shloka 18

Upamanyu’s Tapas, Shiva’s Indra-Form Test, and the Bestowal of Kshiroda and Gaṇapatya

Devanagari script

चिराद्वा ह्यचिराद्वापि क्षीरोदं साधयाम्यहम् सूत उवाच तां प्रणम्यैवमुक्त्वा स तपः कर्तुं प्रचक्रमे

Transliteration

cirādvā hyacirādvāpi kṣīrodaṃ sādhayāmyaham sūta uvāca tāṃ praṇamyaivamuktvā sa tapaḥ kartuṃ pracakrame

Translation

«Qu’il faille longtemps ou que ce soit promptement, j’accomplirai le Kṣīroda, l’Océan de Lait.» Sūta dit : Après s’être incliné devant elle et avoir parlé ainsi, il se mit à pratiquer les austérités sacrées (tapas).

Word by Word

• cirāt: after a long time

• vā: or

• hi: indeed

• acirāt: quickly/soon

• vā api: or even

• kṣīrodam: the Ocean of Milk (Kṣīra-samudra)

• sādhayāmi: I will accomplish/attain

• aham: I

• sūta uvāca: Sūta said

• tām: to her/that (female person addressed)

• praṇamya: having bowed

• evam: thus

• uktvā: having said

• saḥ: he

• tapaḥ: austerity, disciplined ascetic practice

• kartum: to do/perform

• pracakrame: began/undertook.

Speaker

Suta (narrator); the first sentence is spoken by an unnamed male character addressing a female figure (tām).