Shloka 4

Devanagari script

कथं त्वशक्ता त्राणाय माता तेषां तपस्विनी । भविष्यति हि शोकार्ता पुत्रत्राणमपश्यती,“उनकी तपस्विनी माता स्वयं असमर्थ है, वह बेचारी उनकी रक्षा कैसे करेगी? अपने बच्चोंके बचनेका कोई उपाय न देखकर वह शोकसे आतुर हो जायगी

Transliteration

kathaṁ tvaśaktā trāṇāya mātā teṣāṁ tapasvinī | bhaviṣyati hi śokārtā putra-trāṇam apaśyatī ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “How can their ascetic mother, herself powerless to protect them, possibly save them? Seeing no means at all for her sons’ deliverance, she will surely be overwhelmed by grief.”

Word by Word

कथम्how?

तुbut

अशक्ताunable, powerless

त्राणायfor protection, for rescue

माताmother

तेषाम्of them

तपस्विनीascetic woman

भविष्यतिwill be, will become

हिindeed, for

शोकार्ताafflicted by grief

पुत्रत्राणम्protection of (her) sons

अपश्यतीnot seeing, failing to see

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

mother (tapasvinī)

sons/children (putrāḥ, implied)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical poignancy of helplessness: even a virtuous, ascetic mother may be unable to protect her children, and the natural consequence is overwhelming grief when no means of rescue is seen. It underscores compassion for vulnerability and the limits of individual agency in crisis.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana comments on a situation where certain children are in danger, and their mother—though a tapasvinī—is powerless to save them. He anticipates her sorrow because she cannot find any way to secure her sons’ protection.