Shloka 7

The Liberation of the Lizard

Godhā-vimukti

Devanagari script

अभ्यधावत वेगेन हा हतेति प्रियां वदन् । ततः स वृक्षपत्रेण कोमलेन महीपतिः ॥ ७ ॥

Transliteration

abhyadhāvata vegena hā hateti priyāṃ vadan | tataḥ sa vṛkṣapatreṇa komalena mahīpatiḥ || 7 ||

Translation

彼は勢いよく駆け寄り、愛しい者に向かって「嗚呼、私は討たれた！」と叫んだ。ついで王は、柔らかな木の葉を取り（しかるべく手当てを始めた）。

Word by Word

• अभ्यधावत: ran up/hurried
• अभ्यधावत: क्रिया (Finite verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + धाव् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• वेगेन: with speed
• वेगेन: करण (Manner/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• हा: alas!
• हा: सम्बन्ध-निपात (Exclamation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हा (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्गार (interjection/exclamation)

• हता: killed/struck down
• हता: विशेषण (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (उद्गार-वाक्ये)

• इति: thus
• इति: वाक्य-सम्बन्ध (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• प्रियाम्: (his) beloved
• प्रियाम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• वदन्: saying
• वदन्: कर्ता (Co-agent participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु) → वदत् (वर्तमान-कृदन्त, शतृ)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: कालाधिकरण (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: sequence)

• सः: he
• सः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वृक्षपत्रेण: with a tree-leaf
• वृक्षपत्रेण: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष + पत्र (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'tree-leaf'), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• कोमलेन: soft/tender
• कोमलेन: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोमल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying) वृक्षपत्रेण

• महीपतिः: the king
• महीपतिः: कर्ता (Appositional subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही + पति (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'lord of the earth'), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सः इत्यस्य अपि विशेष्य

Speaker

Narrator (Suta-style Purana narration; specific interlocutors not explicit in this verse alone)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: vira

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It highlights how intense emotion and attachment can drive sudden, impulsive action—an ethical cue in Purāṇic narratives that worldly identification (as body, status, relationship) quickly produces suffering and confusion.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By contrast: the verse depicts a mind overwhelmed by grief and fear. In Bhakti, the same intensity is redirected toward steady remembrance of the Lord, transforming agitation into surrender and clarity.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No explicit Vedāṅga (Śikṣā, Vyākaraṇa, Chandas, Nirukta, Jyotiṣa, Kalpa) teaching appears in this verse; it functions primarily as narrative setup within a tirtha-mahātmya episode.