Shloka 30

Śikhaṇḍinī’s Marriage Arrangement and the Daśārṇa Envoy’s Accusation (शिखण्डिनी-विवाह-विप्रलम्भ-प्रसङ्गः)

Devanagari script

यावदेव स राजा वै नोपयाति पुरं मम । तावदेव महायक्ष प्रसादं कुरु गुह्क

Transliteration

yāvad eva sa rājā vai nopayāti puraṁ mama | tāvad eva mahāyakṣa prasādaṁ kuru guhka ||

Translation

ആ രാജാവ് എന്റെ നഗരത്തിലേക്ക് വരാത്തതുവരെ, ഹേ മഹായക്ഷാ, ഹേ ഗുഹ്യകാ, എനിക്കു പ്രസാദം അരുളേണമേ।

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as / until
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत्
• Form: correlative adverb (yāvat–tāvat construction)

• एव: indeed / just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव
• Form: particle

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• वै: indeed / surely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै
• Form: particle

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न
• Form: negation

• उपयाति: comes near / approaches
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-या
• Form: present tense (laṭ), parasmaipada, 3rd person, singular

• पुरम्: city
• पुरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• मम: of me / my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: genitive, singular

• तावत्: so long / until then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत्
• Form: correlative adverb (yāvat–tāvat construction)

• एव: indeed / just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव
• Form: particle

• महायक्ष: O great Yakṣa
• महायक्ष: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महायक्ष
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• प्रसादम्: favor / grace
• प्रसादम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसाद
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• कुरु: do / grant
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: imperative (loṭ), parasmaipada, 2nd person, singular

• गुह्यक: O Guhyaka (attendant of Kubera)
• गुह्यक: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुह्यक
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• a king (unnamed in this verse)
• Mahāyakṣa (great Yakṣa)
• Guhaka
• Bhīṣma's city (pura)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes seeking timely goodwill and protective favor to maintain order and safety, suggesting that restraint and auspicious support can be ethically preferable to coercion while awaiting a critical arrival.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma addresses a powerful Yakṣa figure (called Mahāyakṣa and Guhaka), requesting that this being grant favor or protection until a certain king comes to Bhīṣma’s city.