Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अफ्--छक+ चतुर्दशो 5 ध्याय: उपश्रुति देवीकी सहायतासे इन्द्राणीकी इन्द्रसे भेंट शल्य उवाच अथीैनां रूपिणी साध्वीमुपातिष्ठदुपश्रुति: । तां वयोरूपसम्पन्नां दृष्टवा देवीमुपस्थिताम्‌,शल्य कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! तदनन्तर उपश्रुति देवी मूर्तिमती होकर साध्वी शचीदेवीके पास आयीं। नूतन वय तथा मनोहर रूपसे सुशोभित उपश्रुति देवीको उपस्थित हुई देख इन्द्राणीका मन प्रसन्न हो गया। उन्होंने उनका पूजन करके कहा--'सुमुखि! मैं आपको जानना चाहती हूँ, बताइये, आप कौन हैं?”

Transliteration

śalya uvāca | athaināṃ rūpiṇī sādhvīm upātiṣṭhad upaśrutiḥ | tāṃ vayorūpasampannāṃ dṛṣṭvā devīm upasthitām |

Translation

Śalya berkata: “Kemudian Upāśruti, setelah mengambil rupa yang dapat dilihat, mendekati dewi yang suci (Śacī/Indrāṇī). Melihat Dewi Upāśruti berdiri di hadapannya—dengan keremajaan yang segar dan kecantikan yang menawan—hati Indrāṇī pun menjadi gembira.”

Word by Word

अथthen

एनाम्her (this one)

रूपिणीम्embodied; having a form

साध्वीम्virtuous woman

उपातिष्ठत्approached; attended upon

उपश्रुतिःUpaśruti (name of a देवी)

ताम्her

वयः-रूप-सम्पन्नाम्endowed with youth and beauty

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

देवीम्the goddess

उपस्थिताम्present; having arrived

Speaker

शल्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śalya

Yudhiṣṭhira

Upāśruti

Śacī (Indrāṇī)

Indra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage foregrounds dharmic etiquette: a worthy guest is honored, and identity is sought through respectful inquiry rather than suspicion—showing that reverence and discernment can coexist.

What is happening in the narrative?

Within Śalya’s narration to Yudhiṣṭhira, Upāśruti takes embodied form and approaches Indrāṇī (Śacī). Indrāṇī, pleased by her auspicious presence, offers worship and asks who she is.