Shloka 30

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

Sanskrit

इत्युक्तः प्राह मां सोऽपि मुनिरित्थं महीपते ।

न प्रयच्छामि शापं ते यद्यात्मानं ददासि मे ॥

Transliteration

ity uktaḥ prāha māṃ so 'pi munir itthaṃ mahīpate / na prayacchāmi śāpaṃ te yady ātmānaṃ dadāsi me //

Translation

ເມື່ອຖືກກ່າວດັ່ງນັ້ນ ພະລຶສີນັ້ນໄດ້ກ່າວກັບຂ້ອຍວ່າ: «ໂອ ພະຣາຊາ, ຂ້ອຍຈະບໍ່ຖອນຄໍາສາບຂອງເຈົ້າ ນອກເສຍແຕ່ເຈົ້າຈະມອບຕົນໃຫ້ຂ້ອຍ»។

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/quotative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotation particle (इति-प्रयोगः), indeclinable (अव्यय)

• uktaḥ: having been addressed / spoken to
• uktaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) → ukta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/PPP), masculine, nominative (प्रथमा) singular; agrees with 'muniḥ'

• prāha: said
• prāha: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ah (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष) singular (एकवचन)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, accusative (द्वितीया) singular; object of 'prāha'

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, masculine, nominative (प्रथमा) singular

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), indeclinable; sense: 'also/even'

• muniḥ: the sage
• muniḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, nominative (प्रथमा) singular

• ittham: in this manner
• ittham: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ittham (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण), indeclinable

• mahīpate: O king
• mahīpate: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahīpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, vocative (सम्बोधन/प्रथमा) singular; संबोधन; compound: mahī + pati (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-निपात), indeclinable

• prayacchāmi: I grant / I give
• prayacchāmi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√yam (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष) singular

• śāpam: a curse
• śāpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, accusative (द्वितीया) singular; object of 'prayacchāmi'

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, dative (चतुर्थी) singular; recipient/beneficiary

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: Conditional particle (शर्त-निपात), indeclinable

• ātmānam: yourself
• ātmānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, accusative (द्वितीया) singular; object of 'dadāsi'

• dadāsi: you give
• dadāsi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष) singular

• me: to me
• me: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, dative (चतुर्थी) singular; recipient

Speakers

• Narrator (a woman in the episode) recounting the sage’s words to a king (mahīpati); the muni speaks in this verse

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "bibhatsa", "secondaryRasa": "raudra", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Power of ascetic speech (vāksiddhi)
• Consent and coercion in narrative ethics
• Karmic consequence

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse foregrounds the grave asymmetry of power between ascetic authority and laypersons: a curse becomes a tool of coercion. Puranic narratives often use such scenes to warn that uncontrolled anger and misuse of tapas (austerity-power) distort dharma and lead to further suffering.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Primarily within Vaṃśānucarita / narrative-ethical exemplum rather than sarga/pratisarga. It is an instructive episode illustrating dharma and the consequences of speech and desire, not cosmogenesis or manvantara chronology.

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘non-withdrawable curse’ motif symbolizes the binding force of intention-backed speech (vāk). When speech is driven by passion (kāma/krodha), it precipitates a descent into instinctual existence—here foreshadowed as animal embodiment.