Shloka 5

Devanagari script

न कल्पवृक्षसदृशो यत्नादपि विभूषित: । श्मशानचैत्यद्रुमवद्‌ भूषितो5पि भयंकर:,उसने बड़े यत्नसे अपने-आपको वस्त्राभूषणोंद्वारा सजा रखा था, तो भी कल्पवृक्षके समान आह्वादजनक नहीं जान पड़ता था; अपितु श्मशानभूमिके चैत्यवृक्षकी भाँति भूषित होनेपर भी भयानक प्रतीत होता था

Transliteration

na kalpavṛkṣasadṛśo yatnād api vibhūṣitaḥ | śmaśānacaityadrumavad bhūṣito 'pi bhayaṅkaraḥ ||

Translation

Walau ia menghias diri dengan pakaian dan perhiasan dengan segenap upaya, ia tidak tampak menyejukkan seperti pohon pemenuh harap. Sebaliknya, meski berhias, ia terlihat mengerikan—bagai pohon suci penanda di tanah kremasi.

Word by Word

नnot

कल्पवृक्षसदृशःsimilar to a wish-fulfilling tree

यत्नात्by/with effort

अपिeven/also

विभूषितःadorned, decorated

श्मशानचैत्यद्रुमवत्like a cemetery memorial-tree

भूषितःadorned

अपिeven

भयंकरःterrifying

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

kalpavṛkṣa (wish-fulfilling tree)

śmaśāna (cremation ground)

caityadruma (cemetery memorial tree)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

External adornment cannot transform an inauspicious or frightening nature into something truly pleasing; ethical and inner qualities determine how one is perceived, not mere decoration.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes a figure who has dressed up elaborately, yet instead of appearing delightful like the kalpavṛkṣa, he seems ominous—evoking the eerie sanctity of a cemetery’s memorial tree.