Shloka 13

रावण–मारीचसंवादः तथा मृगप्रलोभनपूर्वकं सीताहरणोपक्रमः

Rāvaṇa–Mārīca Dialogue and the Decoy-Deer Prelude to Sītā’s Abduction

Devanagari script

तैजसानि शरीराणि भवन्त्यत्रोपपद्यताम्‌ | कर्मजान्येव मौद्गल्य न मातृपितृजान्युत,मुद्गल! स्वर्गवासियोंके शरीरमें तैजस तत्त्वकी प्रधानता होती है। वे शरीर पुण्यकर्मोंसे ही उपलब्ध होते हैं। माता-पिताके रजोवीर्यसे उनकी उत्पत्ति नहीं होती है

Transliteration

taijasāni śarīrāṇi bhavanty atropapadyatām | karmajāny eva maudgalya na mātṛpitṛjāny uta ||

Translation

मौद्गल्य! जे तिथे उपपन्न होतात त्यांची शरीरे तेजोमय असतात. ती शरीरे कर्मजन्य आहेत; माता-पित्याच्या संयोगातून उत्पन्न होत नाहीत.

Word by Word

तैजसानिfiery, consisting of tejas

शरीराणिbodies

भवन्तिbecome/are

अत्रhere (in this realm/context)

उपपद्यताम्of those who are being born/appearing (here)

कर्मजानिborn of karma (deeds)

एवindeed/only

मौद्गल्यO Maudgalya

नnot

मातृपितृजानिborn of mother and father

उतand/also (emphatic)

मुद्गलO Mudgala

Speaker

देवदूत उवाच

Characters & Entities

द

देवदूत (divine messenger)

म

मौद्गल्य / मुद्गल (Maudgalya/Mudgala)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Heavenly embodiment is explained as karma-generated: beings in Svarga obtain radiant (taijasa) bodies formed by the force of their meritorious deeds, not through biological birth from parents. The verse underscores moral causality—one’s actions shape one’s mode of existence.

What is happening in the narrative?

A divine messenger addresses Maudgalya (Mudgala) while describing the nature of existence in the heavenly realm, clarifying how celestial bodies are obtained and distinguishing karmic manifestation from ordinary human procreation.