Shloka 16

Devanagari script

कुण्डलार्थ ब्रुवंस्तात कारणैर्बहुभिस्त्वया । अन्यैर्बहुविधैरवित्ति: सन्निवार्य: पुनः पुनः:,“इस प्रकार वे जब-जब कुण्डलके लिये बात करें तब-तब बहुत-से कारण बताकर तथा दूसरे नाना प्रकारके धन आदि देनेकी बात कहकर बार-बार उन्हें कुण्डल माँगनेसे मना करना

Transliteration

kuṇḍalārthaṃ bruvaṃs tāta kāraṇair bahubhis tvayā | anyair bahuvidhair avittiḥ sannivāryaḥ punaḥ punaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Dear one, whenever he speaks with the aim of obtaining the earrings, you must repeatedly dissuade him—citing many reasons, and also by offering other kinds of wealth in various forms—so that he is turned back again and again from asking for the earrings.”

Word by Word

• kuṇḍalārtham: for the earrings (as the purpose/object sought)
• kuṇḍalārtham: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṇḍala
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• bruvan: speaking, saying
• bruvan: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū
• Form: Śatṛ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• tāta: dear one / son (vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāta
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• kāraṇaiḥ: with reasons
• kāraṇaiḥ: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• bahubhiḥ: many
• bahubhiḥ: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yusmad
• Form: Instrumental, Singular

• anyaiḥ: with other (reasons/means)
• anyaiḥ: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• bahuvidhaiḥ: of many kinds, various
• bahuvidhaiḥ: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahuvidha
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• avittiḥ: lack of wealth / poverty
• avittiḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: avitti
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• sannivāryaḥ: to be restrained / should be prevented
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-vṛ
• Form: Gerundive (tavya/ya; here -ya with saṃ- prefix: sannivārya-), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• punaḥ: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ

• punaḥ: again (repeatedly)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• kuṇḍala (earrings)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights prudent counsel: when faced with a persistent request for a valued object, one may ethically resist through reasoned argument and by offering alternative forms of wealth, aiming to prevent harm or loss without resorting to hostility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates an instruction to repeatedly refuse a request specifically aimed at obtaining the earrings, using many reasons and proposing other gifts or wealth instead, so the requester is turned away each time.