Shloka 14

Devanagari script

पुंनाम्नो नरकात्‌ पुत्रस्त्रायते पितरं श्रुति: । तस्मादपत्यसंताने यतस्व ब्रह्मसत्तम

Transliteration

puṁnāmno narakāt putras trāyate pitaraṁ śrutiḥ | tasmād apatyasaṁtāne yatasva brahmasattama ||

Translation

ಶ್ರುತಿ ಹೇಳುತ್ತದೆ—‘ಪುಂ’ ಎಂಬ ನರಕದಿಂದ ಪುತ್ರನು ತಂದೆಯನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ, ಹೇ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ, ಸಂತಾನಸಂತತಿಯನ್ನು ಅಖಂಡವಾಗಿರಿಸಲು ಯತ್ನಿಸು.

Word by Word

• पुंनाम्नः: of (the) ‘puṃnāman’ (hell so named)
• पुंनाम्नः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुंनामन्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• नरकात्: from hell
• नरकात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• पुत्रः: the son
• पुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्रायते: protects / delivers
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्रा
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• पितरम्: the father
• पितरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• श्रुतिः: the śruti / scripture / tradition
• श्रुतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तस्मात्: therefore
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (तद्-प्रातिपदिक)

• अपत्यसंताने: in the continuation of progeny/lineage
• अपत्यसंताने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपत्य-संतान
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• यतस्व: strive / make effort
• Type: Verb
• Root: यत्
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Atmanepada

• ब्रह्मसत्तम: O best of Brahmins
• ब्रह्मसत्तम: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्-सत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

मन्दपाल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• मन्दपाल (Mandapāla)
• पुंनाम्नो नरक (Puṁ-nāman hell)
• श्रुति (Śruti)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes the dharmic importance of progeny: according to śruti, having a son is linked with fulfilling ancestral obligations, symbolically described as rescuing the father from the ‘Puṁ-nāman’ hell; hence one should strive for continuity of the family line.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mandapāla addresses a Brahmin (brahmasattama), invoking Vedic authority to urge him to make effort toward producing offspring so that the lineage remains unbroken and ancestral duties are secured.