Shloka 2

Devanagari script

न शशाक यदा बाला प्रत्याख्यातुं तमोनुदम्‌ । भीता शापात्‌ ततो राजन्‌ दध्यौ दीर्घमथान्तरम्‌,राजन्‌! जब वह बाला अन्धकारनाशक भगवान्‌ सूर्यदेवको टाल न सकी, तब शापसे भयभीत हो दीर्घकालतक मन-ही-मन कुछ सोचने लगी

Transliteration

na śaśāka yadā bālā pratyākhyātuṃ tamonudam | bhītā śāpāt tato rājan dadhyau dīrgham athāntaram ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: When the young maiden could not refuse the dispeller of darkness, the Sun-god, then, O king, frightened of a curse, she pondered inwardly for a long time, turning the matter over in her mind. The passage underscores the moral tension between fear of divine retribution and personal agency in the face of an overpowering divine approach.

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• शशाक: was able
• Type: Verb
• Root: शक्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3, singular, Parasmaipada

• यदा: when
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा

• बाला: the girl/maiden
• बाला: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• प्रत्याख्यातुम्: to refuse/repel
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-आ-ख्या
• Form: tumun (infinitive)

• तमोनुदम्: the dispeller of darkness (Sun)
• तमोनुदम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस्-नुद
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• भीता: frightened
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भी
• Form: kta (past passive participle), feminine, nominative, singular

• शापात्: from/through fear of a curse
• शापात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप
• Form: masculine, ablative, singular

• ततः: then/thereupon
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• दध्यौ: she pondered
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3, singular, Parasmaipada

• दीर्घम्: for a long time/long
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• अथ: then/and now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• अन्तरम्: an inner thought/plan; inwardly
• अन्तरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Sūrya (Sun-god)
• rājan (the king addressed, i.e., Janamejaya)
• bālā (the maiden)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights ethical pressure created by fear of divine punishment: when confronted by overwhelming authority, a person may hesitate and deliberate rather than act freely. It invites reflection on dharma as inner discernment (manasika-vicāra) amid coercive circumstances.

What is happening in the narrative?

A young maiden is unable to refuse the Sun-god (called ‘tamonuda’, dispeller of darkness). Afraid that refusal might bring a curse, she remains inwardly conflicted and thinks for a long time about what to do next.