Shloka 96

Parīkṣit-janma-saṃkaṭa and Kuntī’s petition to Vāsudeva (परिक्षिज्जन्मसंकटं कुन्त्याः प्रार्थना च)

Devanagari script

शुशुभे स्थानमत्यर्थ देवदेवस्य पार्थिव । पृथ्वीनाथ! देवाधिदेव महादेवजीका वह स्थान धूपोंकी सुगन्धसे व्याप्त और फूलोंसे अलंकृत होनेके कारण बड़ी शोभा पा रहा था

Transliteration

śuśubhe sthānam atyarthaṁ devadevasya pārthiva | pṛthvīnātha! devādhideva mahādevasya hi tat sthānaṁ dhūpānāṁ sugandhena vyāptaṁ puṣpaiś ca alaṅkṛtaṁ bhūri śobhām avāpa ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O king, lord of the earth, the sacred place of Mahādeva—the God of gods, the supreme deity among the gods—shone exceedingly. Pervaded by the fragrance of incense and adorned with flowers, it attained great splendor.”

Word by Word

• शुशुभे: shone, was splendid
• Type: Verb
• Root: शुभ्
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• स्थानम्: place, site
• स्थानम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अत्यर्थम्: exceedingly, very much
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्यर्थ

• देवदेवस्य: of the god of gods
• देवदेवस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवदेव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• पार्थिव: O king, O ruler
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• the king addressed as Pārthiva / Pṛthvīnātha
• Śiva’s sacred place (sthāna)
• incense (dhūpa)
• flowers (puṣpa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the dharmic ideal of honoring the divine through purity and beauty in worship—incense and flowers symbolize reverence, auspiciousness, and the king’s responsibility to uphold sacred order by supporting proper ritual and holy places.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a sacred site associated with Mahādeva (Śiva). The place is portrayed as exceptionally radiant because it is filled with the scent of incense and decorated with flowers, setting a devotional and auspicious atmosphere for the events around it.