Shloka 24

Kuru's Consecration — Kuru’s Consecration and the Sanctification of Samantapañcaka (Kurukshetra)

Devanagari script

तं कर्षन्तं नरवरं समभ्येत्य शतक्रतुः प्रोवाच राजन् किमिदं भवान् कर्तुमिहोद्यतः

Transliteration

taṃ karṣantaṃ naravaraṃ samabhyetya śatakratuḥ provāca rājan kimidaṃ bhavān kartumihodyataḥ

Translation

Voyant le meilleur des hommes occupé à labourer, Śatakratu (Indra) s’approcha et dit : «Ô roi, qu’est-ce donc que tu es résolu à faire ici ?»

Word by Word

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; सर्वनाम

• karṣantam: ploughing/drawing
• karṣantam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛṣ (धातु) + śatṛ (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• naravaram: best of men
• naravaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; तत्पुरुष (‘best among men’)

• samabhyetya: having approached
• samabhyetya: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√i (इ धातु) + abhi + ktvā (ल्यप्)
• Form: Gerund (ल्यप्), ‘having approached’

• śatakratuḥ: Śatakratu (Indra)
• śatakratuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + kratu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; तत्पुरुष (कर्मधारयार्थ: ‘शतं क्रतवो यस्य’—इन्द्रः)

• provāca: said
• provāca: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person, Singular

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular

• kim: what?
• kim: Vishaya (विषय/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; interrogative

• idam: this
• idam: Visheshya (विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• bhavān: you (hon.)
• bhavān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; honorific

• kartum: to do
• kartum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमन्त)

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable adverb

• udyataḥ: ready/intent
• udyataḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-√yam (यम् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त, Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘ready/intent’

Speakers

• Indra (Śatakratu) addressing the King (contextual identification not explicit in the given verses)

Primary Deities

• Indra

Key Themes

• Dharma of rulers
• Inquiry into righteous action
• Deva–human interaction

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse frames dharma as something to be questioned and clarified even when a king is engaged in seemingly ordinary labor; righteous action invites scrutiny and explanation, emphasizing conscious, deliberate ethics rather than mere custom.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Primarily Vṛtti/Vaṃśānucarita-adjacent narrative material (conduct of notable persons) rather than cosmogenesis; it functions as didactic narrative embedded in the Purāṇic storytelling framework.

What is the symbolic significance?

Indra’s approach symbolizes the testing or verification of dharma: even the lord of the Devas asks the king to state his intention, highlighting that royal virtue must be articulate, accountable, and exemplary.