Shloka 12

कृपकृपी-जननम्

The Birth of Kṛpa and Kṛpī; Kṛpa’s Attainment of Astras

Devanagari script

महानदीनितम्बांश्न गहनान्‌ गिरिगह्दरान्‌ । सन्ति नित्यहिमा देशा निर्वक्षमृगपक्षिण:

Transliteration

mahānadī-nitambāṁś ca gahanān giri-gahvarān | santi nitya-himā deśā nirvṛkṣa-mṛga-pakṣiṇaḥ ||

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「この道程で、われらは大河の危うい岸辺と、深い山の裂谷を数多く見た。ここには雪が常に積もり続ける地がある——あまりに荒涼として木々もなく、獣も鳥もその気配すらない。」

Word by Word

• महानदी: great rivers
• महानदी: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महानदी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• नितम्बान्: banks/slopes (lit. buttresses, flanks)
• नितम्बान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नितम्ब
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• गहनान्: deep, dense, difficult (to traverse)
• गहनान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गहन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• गिरिगह्वरान्: mountain-caves/valleys (mountain-gorges)
• गिरिगह्वरान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरिगह्वर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• सन्ति: are/exist
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural

• नित्यहिमाः: ever-snowy (having perpetual snow)
• नित्यहिमाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्यहिम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• देशाः: regions/places
• देशाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• निर्वृक्ष: treeless
• निर्वृक्ष: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्वृक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मृगपक्षिणः: beasts and birds
• मृगपक्षिणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृगपक्षिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• great rivers (mahānadyaḥ)
• mountains (giri)
• mountain ravines/gorges (gahvarāṇi)
• perpetually snowy regions (nitya-himā deśāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores endurance and resolve in the face of harsh, life-denying terrain—an implicit reminder that significant aims (dharma-driven quests or missions) often require passing through danger, scarcity, and isolation without losing steadiness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the route being traversed: dangerous riverbanks, deep mountain gorges, and perpetually snowbound, barren regions devoid of trees and even animals or birds—emphasizing the severity of the journey.