Shloka 21

Adhyaya 74 — King Svarashtra, the Deer-Queen’s Curse, and the Rise of Tamasa Manu

Sanskrit

मृग्युवाच अहं ते दयिता भूप ! प्रागासमुत्पलावती । भार्या शताग्रमहिषी दुहिता दृढधन्वनः ॥

Transliteration

mṛgy uvāca ahaṃ te dayitā bhūpa! prāg āsam utpalāvatī / bhāryā śatāgramahiṣī duhitā dṛḍhadhanvanaḥ

Translation

雌鹿は言った。「王よ、かつて私は汝の愛しき者、ウットパラーヴァティーであった。私はシャターグラの妻として正妃にあり、またドリダダンヴァンの娘である。」

Word by Word

• mṛgī: the doe
• mṛgī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛgī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/1st), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (लिट्/perfect), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथम/3rd), Ekavacana (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Prathamā (प्रथमा/1st), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• te: your
• te: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuzmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Ṣaṣṭhī (षष्ठी/6th), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• dayitā: beloved (woman)
• dayitā: Pradhāna-viśeṣya (प्रधान/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dayitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/1st), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• bhūpa: O king
• bhūpa: Sambodhyā (सम्बोध्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/vocative), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• prāk: formerly/before
• prāk: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prāk (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; kāla-avyaya (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)

• āsam: I was
• āsam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra (लङ्/imperfect past), Uttama-puruṣa (उत्तम/1st), Ekavacana (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• utpalāvatī: (named) Utpalāvatī
• utpalāvatī: Pradhāna-viśeṣya (प्रधान/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: utpalāvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/1st), Ekavacana (एकवचन); proper name

• bhāryā: wife
• bhāryā: Pradhāna-viśeṣya (प्रधान/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/1st), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• śatāgra-mahiṣī: chief queen among a hundred
• śatāgra-mahiṣī: Pradhāna-viśeṣya (प्रधान/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक) + mahiṣī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (determinative; ‘having a hundred foremost (co-wives)’/‘chief among a hundred’); Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/1st), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• duhitā: daughter
• duhitā: Pradhāna-viśeṣya (प्रधान/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duhitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/1st), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• dṛḍha-dhanvanaḥ: of Dṛḍhadhanvan (the firm-bowman)
• dṛḍha-dhanvanaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dṛḍha (प्रातिपदिक) + dhanvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय: ‘firm’ + ‘bowman’); Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Ṣaṣṭhī (षष्ठी/6th), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

Speakers

• Doe (mṛgī) to the king

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "karuna", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Past-life memory
• Identity across rebirth
• Royal genealogy (names of persons)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Personal identity and attachment are shown as continuing threads across births; the narrative implies that relational karma can reappear in altered forms, demanding discernment rather than mere passion.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Closest to Vaṃśa/Vaṃśānucarita elements (names, royal relations) used to anchor an upākhyāna (illustrative tale) within the Purāṇa.

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘beloved now as a doe’ encodes the teaching that kāma (desire) and bandha (bondage) can persist while the body changes—urging a shift from possessive love to dharmic understanding.