Shloka 69

Adhyaya 3 — The Dharmapakshis’ Past-Life Curse and Indra’s Test of Truthfulness

Sanskrit

मनस्तस्याश्रितं दृष्ट्वा बुद्धिर्नश्यति तत्क्षणात् ।

अमात्यरहितस्तत्र पौरवर्गोज्झितस्तथा ॥

Transliteration

manas tasyāśritaṃ dṛṣṭvā buddhir naśyati tatkṣaṇāt / amātya-rahitas tatra pauravargo jjhitas tathā //

Translation

Voyant son esprit ainsi fixé, son discernement périt à l’instant même ; là encore il se trouve privé de ministres, et pareillement abandonné par le corps des citoyens de la cité.

Word by Word

• manaḥ: mind
• manaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; subject of participle-context

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; genitive (of him)

• āśritam: having taken refuge in / attached to
• āśritam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-śri (धातु) + kta (क्त) → āśrita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; agrees with manaḥ

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); ‘having seen’

• buddhiḥ: intellect
• buddhiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• naśyati: perishes
• naśyati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: naś (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• tat-kṣaṇāt: immediately
• tat-kṣaṇāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; पञ्चमी-अर्थे अव्ययप्रयोग (‘from that very moment/instantly’)

• amātya-rahitaḥ: devoid of ministers
• amātya-rahitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: amātya (प्रातिपदिक) + rahita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (नञ्/वियोगार्थ) समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; qualifies implied ‘saḥ (nṛpaḥ)’

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

• paura-varga-ujjhitaḥ: abandoned by the body of citizens
• paura-varga-ujjhitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paura (प्रातिपदिक) + varga (प्रातिपदिक) + ujjhita (उद्-झि/त्यज्-भावे, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; ‘pauravarga’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: citizens’ group) + ‘ujjhita’ (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, ‘abandoned’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; manner/connector (‘thus/also’)

Speakers

• Narrative voice of the Purana (contextual description within the chapter’s story-line; not Devi Mahatmyam dialogue)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Raja-dharma
• Ethics of governance
• Psychology of downfall
• Counsel and social support

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

When the mind becomes wrongly fixed (āśrita) on a destructive course—such as obsession, fear, or adharma—discriminative intelligence (buddhi) collapses immediately. In polity, this inner collapse manifests outwardly: competent ministers withdraw or are lost, and the civic body (paura-varga) ceases to support the ruler. The verse links inner governance (self-mastery) with outer governance (statecraft).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This verse aligns most closely with Vaṃśānucarita (accounts of dynasties/royal conduct) and, secondarily, Manvantara-style didactic narration, insofar as it teaches norms and consequences for rulers within broader historical-ethical storytelling rather than describing sarga/pratisarga (creation cycles).

What is the esoteric significance?

Esoterically, 'buddhi' is the inner charioteer: when it is extinguished, the sovereign self loses its guiding principle, and the 'ministers' symbolize the faculties (indriyas, supportive mental functions) that ordinarily administer life in harmony. The 'citizens' represent the many tendencies (vṛttis) of the psyche; when order (dharma) is lost, they abandon the center, producing fragmentation and downfall.