Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तथा हि गत्वा ते तस्य पुच्छे वाला इव स्थिता: । एतस्मिन्नन्तरे ते तु सपत्न्यौं पणिते तदा,ऐसा विचार करके वे वहाँ गये और काले रंगके बाल बनकर उसकी एूँछमें लिपट गये। द्विजश्रेष्ठी इसी बीचमें बाजी लगाकर आयी हुई दोनों सौतें और सगी बहनें पुनः अपनी शर्तको दुहराकर बड़ी प्रसन्नताके साथ समुद्रके दूसरे पार जा पहुँचीं। दक्षकुमारी कद्रू और विनता आकाशभमार्गसे अक्षोभ्य जलनिधि समुद्रको देखती हुई आगे बढ़ीं। वह महासागर अत्यन्त प्रबल वायुके थपेड़े खाकर सहसा विक्षुब्ध हो रहा था। उससे बड़े जोरकी गर्जना होती थी। तिमिंगिल और मगरमच्छ आदि जलजन्तु उसमें सब ओर व्याप्त थे। नाना प्रकारके भयंकर जन्तु सहस्रोंकी संख्यामें उसके भीतर निवास करते थे। इन सबके कारण वह अत्यन्त घोर और दुर्धर्ष जान पड़ता था तथा गहरा होनेके साथ ही अत्यन्त भयंकर था

Transliteration

tathā hi gatvā te tasya pucche vālā iva sthitāḥ | etasminn antare te tu sapatnyau paṇite tadā |

Translation

Śaunaka said: “Accordingly, they went there and settled upon his tail like hairs, clinging to it. Meanwhile, the two co-wives—having staked their wager—reaffirmed their agreed condition and, delighted, proceeded onward.” The passage underscores how a binding bet, once accepted, drives conduct and consequences, and how deception can be employed to force an outcome within the framework of an agreed ‘rule.’

Word by Word

तथाthus

हिindeed/for

गत्वाhaving gone

तेthey

तस्यof him/of that

पुच्छेin/on the tail

वालाhairs

इवlike/as if

स्थिताःstood/remained

एतस्मिन्in this

अन्तरेin the interval/meanwhile

तेthose two (women)

तुbut/indeed

सपत्न्यौthe two co-wives

पणितेwhen the wager was made/at the bet

तदाthen/at that time

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śaunaka

the two co-wives (sapatnyau)

tail (puccha)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when actions occur within an agreed framework (a wager and its conditions), ethical quality matters: binding commitments can compel behavior, but deceit used to secure victory corrupts the spirit of dharma and sets harmful consequences in motion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Some beings go and cling to ‘his tail’ like hairs, positioning themselves to affect the outcome of a wager. At the same time, the two rival wives reaffirm the terms of their bet and proceed, indicating that the contest is actively unfolding under the agreed conditions.