Shloka 35

Adhyaya 6 — Balarama’s Dilemma, Drunken Wanderings in Revata’s Grove, and the Slaying of the Suta

Sanskrit

तत्क्षयार्थं चरिष्यामि व्रतं द्वादशवार्षिकम् ।

स्वकर्मख्यापनं कुर्वन् प्रायश्चित्तमनुत्तमम् ॥

Transliteration

tatkṣayārthaṃ cariṣyāmi vrataṃ dvādaśavārṣikam |

svakarmakhyāpanaṃ kurvan prāyaścittam anuttamam ||

Translation

Demi memusnahkan (dosa/kekotoran) itu, aku akan menjalani nazar dua belas tahun, melaksanakan penebusan yang tiada banding dengan mengakui perbuatanku sendiri secara terbuka.

Word by Word

• tat: of that
• tat: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद (referring to 'that sin')

• kṣaya: destruction, expiation
• kṣaya: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (in purpose-compound)

• artham: for the purpose
• artham: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे (for the sake of)

• cariṣyāmi: I shall practice/undertake
• cariṣyāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• vratam: vow, observance
• vratam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• dvādaśa: twelve
• dvādaśa: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; समासपूर्वपद (numeral 'twelve')

• vārṣikam: annual; yearly
• vārṣikam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vārṣika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'vratam')

• sva: one's own
• sva: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद; स्व- (own)

• karma: deed, action
• karma: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (in compound)

• khyāpanam: confession, making known
• khyāpanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khyāpana (प्रातिपदिक; from √khyā/khāp caus.)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; क्रियावाचक-नाम (act of declaring/avowing)

• kurvan: doing; while doing
• kurvan: Kartr̥ (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + śatṛ (कृत्) → kurvat (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले (present active participle)

• prāyaścittam: atonement, expiation
• prāyaścittam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāyaścitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• anuttamam: unsurpassed, excellent
• anuttamam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'prāyaścittam')

Speakers

• Not determinable from the single verse alone (requires surrounding verses to identify the dialogue speaker).

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "bhakti", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Prāyaścitta
• Vrata
• Ethical accountability
• Karmic purification

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse elevates accountability as a core component of purification: expiation is not only austerity over time (a twelve-year vrata) but also moral truthfulness—owning one’s act (svakarmakhyāpana). It implies that inner cleansing requires both disciplined practice and honest self-disclosure, countering denial and concealment.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This passage aligns most closely with Dharma/Ācāra material rather than the five hallmark cosmological topics. In Pancalakṣaṇa terms, it is ancillary ethical instruction (not sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita), commonly embedded within Purāṇic narrative frameworks.

What is the esoteric significance?

A “twelve-year” observance can symbolize a complete cycle of discipline (often read as a full maturation period of practice), while “khyāpana” (making one’s deed known) signifies bringing what is hidden into the light of awareness. Esoterically, the ‘destruction’ (kṣaya) sought is the dissolution of the karmic knot sustained by secrecy, self-deception, and unresolved guilt.