Shloka 35

Devanagari script

वरं वृणीष्वेत्युक्त: स प्राउ्जलि: प्रणतस्तदा । अतीव मुदितो राजन्निदं वचनमब्रवीत्‌,तदनन्तर महर्षियोंसहित सम्पूर्ण देवता प्रसन्न होकर वहाँ आये और राजासे वर माँगनेका अनुरोध करने लगे। राजन्‌! उनकी बात सुनकर कुवलाश्व अत्यन्त प्रसन्न हुए और हाथ जोड़ मस्तक झुकाकर इस प्रकार बोले--

Transliteration

varaṁ vṛṇīṣvety uktaḥ sa prāñjaliḥ praṇatas tadā | atīva mudito rājann idaṁ vacanam abravīt ||

Translation

“ഒരു വരം തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുക” എന്നു പറയപ്പെട്ടപ്പോൾ ആ രാജാവ് കൈകൂപ്പി വിനയത്തോടെ തലകുനിച്ചു; അത്യന്തം ആനന്ദത്തോടെ, ഹേ രാജൻ, ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

वरम्a boon

वृणीष्वchoose (you)

इतिthus

उक्तःhaving been addressed/told

सःhe

प्राञ्जलिःwith joined hands

प्रणतःbowed down

तदाthen

अतीवexceedingly

मुदितःdelighted

राजन्O king

इदम्this

वचनम्speech/words

अब्रवीत्said/spoke

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya (speaker)

Kuvalāśva (king, implied by context)

Mahārṣis (great sages, in contextual prose)

Devatās (gods, in contextual prose)

Rājan (the addressed king, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira in frame narrative)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When divine or saintly beings offer favor, the dharmic response is humility and gratitude rather than entitlement. The king’s joined palms and bowed head model reverence, self-restraint, and ethical readiness before receiving power or gifts.

What is happening in the narrative?

Pleased sages and gods arrive and invite King Kuvalāśva to choose a boon. Overjoyed, he stands with folded hands, bows respectfully, and begins to reply—setting up the content of his request in the following verses.