Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ततः कालेन सा गर्भ सुषुवे वरवर्णिनी । कन्यैव तस्य देवस्य प्रसादादमरप्रभम्‌,तदनन्तर सुन्दरी पृथाने यथासमय भगवान्‌ सूर्यके कृपाप्रसादसे स्वयं कन्या ही बनी रहकर देवताओंके समान तेजस्वी एक पुत्रको जन्म दिया

Transliteration

tataḥ kālena sā garbhaṃ suṣuve varavarṇinī | kanyaiva tasya devasya prasādād amaraprabham ||

Translation

In due course, that fair-complexioned lady gave birth to the child she had conceived. By the grace of that god, she remained a maiden, and yet brought forth a son radiant with an immortal-like splendor—an event that underscores the extraordinary power of divine boon and the safeguarding of a woman’s social honor amid an otherwise perilous situation.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

कालेनby/with time; in course of time

साshe

गर्भम्a child/foetus (in the womb)

सुषुवेgave birth

वरवर्णिनीthe fair/beautiful-complexioned (lady)

कन्याa maiden, virgin girl

एवindeed, just, only

तस्यof that; of him

देवस्यof the god

प्रसादात्from (his) grace/favor

अमरप्रभम्having the splendor of the immortals

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

the maiden/mother (implicitly Pṛthā/Kuntī in context)

the god (implicitly Sūrya in context)

the son (implicitly Karṇa in context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how divine favor can protect a person’s social and moral standing even amid extraordinary circumstances, emphasizing the Mahābhārata’s concern with honor (loka-maryādā) and the complex interplay of fate, boon, and dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

After some time, the woman gives birth to a son of godlike radiance; through the god’s boon she remains a maiden despite childbirth, indicating a miraculous birth connected with a divine encounter (contextually, Sūrya and Pṛthā/Kuntī, and the birth of Karṇa).