Shloka 198

Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala

Sanskrit

प्रकृष्टा विस्मिता दीना भर्तृपुत्राधिपीडिता ।

वीक्षन्ती सा ततोऽपश्यद् भर्तृदण्डं जुगुप्सितम् ॥

Transliteration

prakṛṣṭā vismitā dīnā bhartṛ-putrādhi-pīḍitā |

vīkṣantī sā tato 'paśyad bhartṛ-daṇḍaṃ jugupsitam ||

Translation

അവൾ ചുറ്റും നോക്കി അത്യന്തം വിറച്ചു—അത്ഭുതഭരിതയായി, ദീനയായി, ഭർത്താവിന്റെയും മകന്റെയും ദുരന്തം മൂലം പീഡിതയായി. അപ്പോൾ അവൾ ഭർത്താവിന്റെ ജുഗുപ്സിതമായ ദണ്ഡം (അവന്റെ അധഃസ്ഥിതിയുടെ ചിഹ്നം) കണ്ടു.

Word by Word

• prakṛṣṭā: greatly (distressed)/intensely affected
• prakṛṣṭā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prakṛṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); predicate adjective of sā

• vismitā: astonished
• vismitā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vismita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• dīnā: wretched
• dīnā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhartṛ-putra-adhi-pīḍitā: afflicted over husband and son
• bhartṛ-putra-adhi-pīḍitā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + putra (प्रातिपदिक) + adhi-√pīḍ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष with kta-participle: ‘afflicted because of husband and son’

• vīkṣantī: looking
• vīkṣantī: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; samtidhi)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√īkṣ (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); ‘while looking’

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रम/स्थानवाचक-अव्यय)

• apaśyat: saw
• apaśyat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); parasmaipada

• bhartṛ-daṇḍam: her husband’s staff/punishment
• bhartṛ-daṇḍam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + daṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘husband’s staff/punishment’

• jugupsitam: despicable/loathsome
• jugupsitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √gup (धातु) + desiderative stem jugups- (जुगुप्स) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त) of desiderative ‘to despise’; Neuter/Masculine Accusative Singular (द्वितीया एकवचन) agreeing with daṇḍam

Speakers

• Narrative description of the queen’s state

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Social degradation
• Shock and disgust (jugupsā)
• Suffering of the royal household

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The ‘loathsome staff’ embodies how external roles can invert; the verse invites discrimination between intrinsic worth and socially assigned occupation/status.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Outside pañcalakṣaṇa; serves the Purāṇic moral-narrative function of illustrating the fragility of worldly power.

What is the esoteric significance?

Daṇḍa can symbolize ‘discipline’ or ‘fate’s rod’: the same sign that once implied authority now signifies abasement—showing the dual edge of power and karma.