Shloka 9

Adhyaya 6 — Balarama’s Dilemma, Drunken Wanderings in Revata’s Grove, and the Slaying of the Suta

Sanskrit

सर्वर्तुफलपुष्पाढ्यं शाखामृगगणाकुलम् । पुण्यं पद्मवनोपेतं सपल्वलमहावनम् ॥

Transliteration

sarvartuphalapuṣpāḍhyaṃ śākhāmṛgagaṇākulam / puṇyaṃ padmavanopetaṃ sapalvalamahāvanam

Translation

Une grande forêt—sainte et de bon augure—abondante en fruits et fleurs de toutes les saisons, peuplée de troupes d’animaux vivant dans les arbres, pourvue de bosquets de lotus et accompagnée d’étangs marécageux.

Word by Word

• सर्व-ऋतु-फल-पुष्प-आढ्यम्: abounding in fruits and flowers of all seasons
• सर्व-ऋतु-फल-पुष्प-आढ्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋतु (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + आढ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘वनम्’ इत्यस्य

• शाखा-मृग-गण-आकुलम्: crowded with herds of branch-dwelling animals (monkeys)
• शाखा-मृग-गण-आकुलम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाखा (प्रातिपदिक) + मृग (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक) + आकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण—‘वनम्’ इत्यस्य

• पुण्यम्: holy, auspicious
• पुण्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण—‘वनम्’ इत्यस्य

• पद्म-वन-उपेतम्: endowed with lotus-groves
• पद्म-वन-उपेतम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पद्म (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक) + उपेत (कृदन्त; √इ (धातु) उपसर्ग ‘उप’ + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण—‘वनम्’ इत्यस्य

• स-पल्वल-महा-वनम्: a great forest with ponds
• स-पल्वल-महा-वनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स (अव्यय-उपपद) + पल्वल (प्रातिपदिक) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; ‘स’ = ‘सहित’ (with) उपपद

Speakers

• Narratorial description (frame-speaker not determinable from the single verse alone)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Sacred landscape
• Natural abundance
• Tirtha/forest sanctity
• Auspicious setting for tapas or narrative events

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse frames nature as a ‘puṇya’ (merit-bearing) environment: abundance across seasons and the presence of living communities (animals, lotus-groves, waters) mark the forest as fit for dharmic activity—tapas, study, restraint, and sacred narrative—suggesting that purity of place supports purity of practice.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This verse is not directly sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita in itself; it functions as narrative setting (upodghāta) that commonly accompanies vaṃśānucarita or episodic accounts. It is best tagged as ‘contextual geography’ rather than a Pancalakshana core datum.

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘all-seasons’ fertility (sarvartuphala-puṣpa) symbolizes completeness and auspiciousness (pūrṇatā). Lotus-groves and waters (padmavana, palvala) traditionally signify sattva, clarity, and the mind’s capacity to reflect the sacred—an inner ‘forest’ where disciplined awareness can thrive amid the movements of life (the bustling gaṇas).