Shloka 16

छत्रोपानहदानफलप्रशंसा — Praise of the Merit of Donating Umbrella and Footwear

Devanagari script

रेणुकोवाच शिरस्तावत्‌ प्रदीप्तं मे पादौ चैव तपोधन । सूर्यतेजोनिरुद्धाहं वृक्षच्छायां समाश्रिता,रेणुका बोली--तपोधन! मेरा सिर तप गया, दोनों पैर जलने लगे और सूर्यके प्रचण्ड तेजने मुझे आगे बढ़नेसे रोक दिया। इसलिये थोड़ी देरतक वृक्षकी छायामें खड़ी होकर विश्राम लेने लगी थी

Transliteration

reṇukovāca śirastāvat pradīptaṃ me pādau caiva tapodhana | sūryatejoniruddhāhaṃ vṛkṣacchāyāṃ samāśritā ||

Translation

Reṇukā berkata: “Wahai pertapa yang kaya dengan tapa, kepalaku terasa terbakar dan kedua-dua kakiku juga hangus. Dihalang oleh sinar matahari yang ganas, aku berlindung di bawah teduhan pokok dan berdiri di sana seketika untuk berehat.”

Word by Word

रेणुकोवाचRenukā said

शिरःhead

तावत्so much/so far; to that extent

प्रदीप्तम्heated, burning

मेmy

पादौtwo feet

चand

एवindeed/just

तपोधनO ascetic rich in austerity

सूर्यतेजोनिरुद्धाchecked/held back by the sun’s heat

अहम्I

वृक्षच्छायाम्tree-shade

समाश्रिताhaving taken refuge/resorted to

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Reṇukā

Tapodhana (an ascetic addressed)

Sūrya (the sun)

Vṛkṣa (tree/shade)

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?

Even the virtuous and disciplined are subject to bodily limits; dharma includes practical wisdom—seeking shelter and rest when conditions are harsh—rather than forcing oneself into needless suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Reṇukā explains to an ascetic that intense sunlight made her head and feet burn, so she paused and took shelter under a tree’s shade to recover before proceeding.