Shloka 25

Devanagari script

तत्र सम राक्षसी गाति सदा कृष्णचतुर्दशीम्‌

Transliteration

tatra sama rākṣasī gāti sadā kṛṣṇa-caturdaśīm

Translation

There, that rākṣasī regularly observes the fourteenth lunar day of the dark fortnight (Kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī). In Karṇa’s speech, the detail underscores a grim, ritualized pattern—suggesting that even violent beings follow fixed observances, and that time (tithi) and vow-like practice can be harnessed toward fearful ends rather than dharmic restraint.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र
• Form: indeclinable (locative adverb)

• सम्: together; completely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्
• Form: indeclinable (preverb/adverb)

• राक्षसी: the demoness (rakshasi)
• राक्षसी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षसी
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• गाति: sings
• Type: Verb
• Root: गै
• Form: present tense (lat), 3rd person, singular, parasmaipada

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा
• Form: indeclinable (adverb)

• कृष्णचतुर्दशीम्: the Krishna Chaturdashi (dark-fortnight 14th lunar day)
• कृष्णचतुर्दशीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णचतुर्दशी
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karṇa
• rākṣasī
• Kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī (tithi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that actions can become habitual and time-bound: even a rākṣasī is portrayed as following a fixed observance tied to a lunar day. The ethical implication is that discipline or ritual regularity is value-neutral—its moral worth depends on the intention and the ends it serves.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karṇa, while speaking, refers to a rākṣasī and notes her consistent association with (or observance on) Kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī, using the calendrical marker to characterize her behavior as recurrent and ominously patterned.