Shloka 34

कालनिर्णयः, युगधर्मवर्णनम्, सृष्टिक्रमश्च

Time-Reckoning, Yuga-Dharma, and the Sequence of Creation

Devanagari script

कल्याणी रूपसम्पन्ना दुर्भगा शक्र दृश्यते । अलक्षणा विरूपा च सुभगा दृश्यते परा

Transliteration

śakra uvāca | kalyāṇī rūpasampannā durbhagā śakra dṛśyate | alakṣaṇā virūpā ca subhagā dṛśyate parā, śakra |

Translation

Śakra dit : « Ô Śakra, on voit une femme dont la conduite et la pensée sont de bon augure, belle de surcroît, et pourtant elle paraît malheureuse—privée de la fortune conjugale. Et l’on voit une autre, marquée de signes néfastes et sans beauté, qui pourtant paraît hautement favorisée. »

Word by Word

• कल्याणी: auspicious; virtuous (woman)
• कल्याणी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कल्याणिन् (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• रूपसम्पन्ना: endowed with beauty/form
• रूपसम्पन्ना: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रूपसम्पन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• दुर्भगा: unfortunate; ill-fated
• दुर्भगा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्भग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• शक्र: O Śakra (Indra)
• शक्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• दृश्यते: is seen; appears
• दृश्यते: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Ātmanepada, Passive

• अलक्षणा: ill-omened; without auspicious marks
• अलक्षणा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अलक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• विरूपा: ugly; deformed
• विरूपा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सुभगा: fortunate; auspicious; happily married
• सुभगा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुभग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• दृश्यते: is seen; appears
• दृश्यते: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Ātmanepada, Passive

• परा: another; the other (woman)
• परा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• शक्र: O Śakra (Indra)
• शक्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

श॒क्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ethical-philosophical problem: outward qualities (beauty, good conduct) do not always align with visible worldly outcomes (good fortune, marital prosperity). It prompts reflection on karma, unseen causes, and the limits of judging merit by external success.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śakra (Indra) voices an observation about contradictory life outcomes—an apparently virtuous and beautiful woman being unfortunate, and an apparently inauspicious and unattractive woman being fortunate—setting up a discussion on the causes of fortune, the workings of karma, and the complexity of dharma.