Shloka 63

The Lakṣmī–Nārāyaṇa Vow Narrative

Puṣya Thursday Observance and the Ethics of Fortune

Devanagari script

दरिद्र उवाच । श्यामाबालापिता चाहं सौराष्ट्रनगरागतः । कथयध्वं च भो दास्यः श्यामाबालासमीपतः

Transliteration

daridra uvāca | śyāmābālāpitā cāhaṃ saurāṣṭranagarāgataḥ | kathayadhvaṃ ca bho dāsyaḥ śyāmābālāsamīpataḥ

Translation

ദരിദ്രൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“ഞാൻ ശ്യാമാബാലയുടെ പിതാവാണ്; സൗരാഷ്ട്ര നഗരത്തിലേക്ക് വന്നിരിക്കുന്നു. ഹേ ദാസിമാരേ, പറയുക—ഇവിടെ സമീപത്ത് ശ്യാമാബാല എവിടെയാണ്?”

Word by Word

• दरिद्रः: the poor man
• दरिद्रः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दरिद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: क्रिया (Kriyā/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + उपसर्ग: उ (परस्मैपद-परम्परा; perfect formation)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• श्यामाबालापिता: Śyāmābālā's father
• श्यामाबालापिता: कर्ता (Karta/Subject) / विशेष्य (predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्यामाबाला (प्रातिपदिक) + पिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘श्यामाबालायाः पिता’), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), उत्तम-पुरुषार्थ (1st person reference), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सौराष्ट्रनगरागतः: having come to the city of Saurāṣṭra
• सौराष्ट्रनगरागतः: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘अहम्/पिता’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौराष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक) + नगर (प्रातिपदिक) + आगत (कृदन्त; √गम्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सप्तमी/अव्ययीभाव-भावार्थे: ‘सौराष्ट्र-नगरम् आगतः’), आगत (क्त-प्रत्यय; past participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• कथयध्वम्: tell (you all)
• कथयध्वम्: क्रिया (Kriyā/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु; नामधातु/णिजन्त-प्रयोग) / √कथ् (धातु) causative sense
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada)

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• भो: O!
• भो: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भो (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बोधन-निपात (vocative particle/interjection)

• दास्यः: O maidservants
• दास्यः: सम्बोधन (Vocative/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दासी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सम्बोधन/प्रथमा-बहुवचन-रूपसदृश (addressing; vocative plural expected: दास्यः as Vedic/epic variant for दास्याः), बहुवचन (Plural)

• श्यामाबालासमीपतः: from near Śyāmābālā
• श्यामाबालासमीपतः: अधिकरण/देश (Locative sense; place-adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्यामाबाला (प्रातिपदिक) + समीप (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तसिल्-प्रत्यय; ablatival adverb)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘श्यामाबालायाः समीपतः’), तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘from/near’)

Speaker

Daridra

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: vira

Geographic Context

Type: city

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: दरिद्र उवाच → दरिद्रः उवाच; चाहं → च अहम्; सौराष्ट्रनगरागतः = सौराष्ट्र-नगर-आगतः; श्यामाबालासमीपतः = श्यामाबाला-समীপतः

Characters & Entities

• Daridra
• Śyāmābālā
• Saurāṣṭra

FAQs

What is happening in this verse?

Daridra identifies himself as Śyāmābālā’s father, says he has arrived in Saurāṣṭra, and asks the maidservants to tell him where Śyāmābālā is.

What geographical detail does the verse include?

It mentions Saurāṣṭra (Saurashtra) as the city/region where the speaker has arrived, reflecting the Purāṇic awareness of Indian geography.

What is the ethical or narrative significance of this line?

The verse frames a search and reunion motif: a father seeking his daughter through respectful inquiry, setting up the next events in the surrounding narrative.