Shloka 4

Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha

Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site

Devanagari script

अप्सु जाता च गोपाली बृहदम्बालिका तथा । जयावती मालतिका ध्रुवरत्ना भयंकरी

Transliteration

apsu jātā ca gopālī bṛhadambālikā tathā | jayāvatī mālatikā dhruvaratnā bhayaṅkarī

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Apsu-jātā, and also Gopālī; likewise Bṛhadambālikā; Jayāvatī, Mālatikā, Dhruvaratnā, and Bhayaṅkarī.” (These are names being enumerated in the narrative, indicating a cataloguing of notable women/figures within the episode’s account.)

Word by Word

अप्सुin the waters

जाताborn

चand

गोपालीGopālī (a woman’s name)

बृहदम्बालिकाBṛhad-ambālikā (the great Ambālikā; a name)

तथाlikewise/also

जयावतीJayāvatī (a woman’s name)

मालतिकाMālatikā (a woman’s name)

ध्रुवरत्नाDhruva-ratnā (the steadfast jewel; a name)

भयंकरीterrifying; fear-causing

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Apsu-jātā

Gopālī

Bṛhadambālikā

Jayāvatī

Mālatikā

Dhruvaratnā

Bhayaṅkarī

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

This verse is primarily descriptive rather than didactic: it preserves memory through precise naming. In epic ethics, such catalogues underscore accountability and continuity—individuals are not anonymous within the moral universe of the Mahābhārata.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is listing a sequence of named women/figures (Apsu-jātā, Gopālī, Bṛhadambālikā, Jayāvatī, Mālatikā, Dhruvaratnā, Bhayaṅkarī), functioning as an enumeration within the Shalya Parva’s ongoing account.