Shloka 9

Nāgendra–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Praśna-vidhi and Dharmic Approach on the Gomatī Riverbank

Devanagari script

श्र॒त्वाश्चशिरसो मूर्ति देवस्प हरिमेधस:

Transliteration

śrutvā ca śiraso mūrtiṁ devaspa harimedhasaḥ

Translation

Śaunaka dit : «Ayant entendu parler de la mūrti—la manifestation née du sommet de la tête—de cet être inspiré par le divin, à l’esprit pénétrant—…»

Word by Word

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

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

• शिरसः: of the head
• शिरसः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• मूर्तिम्: form; manifestation
• मूर्तिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्ति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• देवस्य: of the god
• देवस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• हरिमेधसः: of Hari-medhas (one whose wisdom/medhas is Hari; epithet/name)
• हरिमेधसः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरिमेधस्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śaunaka
• Hari (Viṣṇu)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a teaching through reverent inquiry: true understanding begins with attentive hearing (śravaṇa) about divine manifestations and the lives of the God-minded (harimedhas), implying that devotion and purified intellect are prerequisites for grasping dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śaunaka introduces a question or continuation after hearing about a miraculous ‘form/manifestation’ connected with a head (śiras), referring to a divinely inspired, Hari-devoted figure; the line functions as a transition into further explanation of that event and its significance.