Shloka 32

Suvarṇa-dāna: Kārttikeya’s Origin and the Defeat of Tāraka (सुवर्णदान-प्रसङ्गे कार्त्तिकेय-उत्पत्ति तथा तारकवधः)

Devanagari script

किमर्थ तप्यसे देवि तपो घोरमनिन्दिते । प्रीतस्ते5हं महाभागे तपसानेन शो भने,'सती-साथ्वी देवी! तुम किसलिये यह घोर तपस्या करती हो? शोभने! महाभागे! मैं तुम्हारी इस तपस्यासे बहुत संतुष्ट हूँ। देवि! तुम इच्छानुसार वर माँगो।” पुरंदर! इस तरह मैंने सुरभीको वर माँगनेके लिये प्रेरित किया

Transliteration

kimartha tapyase devi tapo ghoram anindite | prītas te 'haṃ mahābhāge tapasānena śobhane ||

Translation

ഹേ ദേവി, അനിന്ദിതേ! എന്തിനാണ് നീ ഇങ്ങനെ ഘോരതപസ്സാൽ നിന്നെത്തന്നെ പീഡിപ്പിക്കുന്നത്? ഹേ ശോഭനേ, മഹാഭാഗേ! നിന്റെ ഈ തപസ്സാൽ ഞാൻ അത്യന്തം പ്രസന്നനാണ്. ഹേ ദേവി, നിന്റെ ഇഷ്ടപ്രകാരം വരം ചോദിക്ക.

Word by Word

किमर्थम्for what purpose? why?

तप्यसेyou perform austerity / you are doing penance

देविO goddess

तपःausterity, penance

घोरम्terrible, severe

अनिन्दितेO blameless one

प्रीतःpleased, satisfied

तेof you, your

अहम्I

महाभागेO very fortunate one

तपसाby (this) austerity

अनेनby this

शोभनेO lovely one

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Surabhī

Indra (Puraṃdara)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Severe austerity (tapas) is portrayed as spiritually efficacious and capable of winning divine approval; when such merit is acknowledged, it is ethically framed as deserving a boon aligned with one’s rightful desire.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma narrates a scene in which he addresses a goddess-like, virtuous figure (Surabhī), asks why she undertakes harsh austerities, declares his satisfaction with her tapas, and encourages her—before Indra (Puraṃdara)—to request a boon.