Shloka 15

Devanagari script

अथैनमुपसंगम्य स्त्रीमध्यात्‌ सा तपस्विनी । व्रीडमानेव शनकैरिदं वचनमत्रवीत्‌,वह तपस्विनी स्त्रियोंके बीचसे उठकर उत्तरके समीप आयी और लजाती हुई-सी धीरे- धीरे इस प्रकार बोली--

Transliteration

athainam upasaṅgamya strīmadhyāt sā tapasvinī | vrīḍamāneva śanakair idaṁ vacanam abravīt ||

Translation

ત્યારે તે તપસ્વિની સ્ત્રીઓની વચ્ચેથી ઊભી થઈ તેની પાસે ગઈ અને જાણે લજ્જિત થઈ હોય તેમ ધીમે ધીમે આ વચન બોલી.

Word by Word

अथthen

एनम्him

उपसंगम्यhaving approached

स्त्रीof women

मध्यात्from the midst

साshe

तपस्विनीthe ascetic woman

व्रीडमानाbeing bashful

इवas if

शनकैःslowly, gently

इदम्this

वचनम्speech, words

अत्रhere

अवीत्said, spoke

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

tapasvinī (an unnamed ascetic woman)

striyaḥ (women, as a group)

enam (an unnamed male person addressed/approached)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds restraint and propriety in speech: even when one must speak, one approaches respectfully and speaks with modest self-control—an ethical framing for dialogue in a sensitive social setting.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that an ascetic woman rises from among the women, approaches a man, and—appearing shy—begins to speak slowly, introducing the forthcoming statement or request.