Shloka 6

The Account of Kāṣṭhīlā (Kāṣṭhīlā-ākhyāna) within the Mohinī Narrative

Devanagari script

तत्पुत्रवचनं श्रुत्वा देवी संध्यावली नृप । मोहिनीं श्लक्ष्णया वाचा प्राह ब्रह्मसुता तदा ॥ ६ ॥

Transliteration

tatputravacanaṃ śrutvā devī saṃdhyāvalī nṛpa | mohinīṃ ślakṣṇayā vācā prāha brahmasutā tadā || 6 ||

Translation

Wahai raja, setelah mendengar kata-kata puteranya, Dewi Sandhyāvalī—puteri Brahmā—lalu bertutur kepada Mohinī dengan kata-kata yang lembut.

Word by Word

• तत्-पुत्र-वचनम्: that son’s statement
• तत्-पुत्र-वचनम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध: तस्य पुत्रस्य वचनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — 'that son’s statement'

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: पूर्वकाल (Prior action marker)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) → श्रुत्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund) — 'having heard'

• देवी: the lady (queen)
• देवी: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'goddess/lady'

• संध्यावली: Sandhyāvalī
• संध्यावली: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संध्यावली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — proper name

• नृप: O king
• नृप: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन — address

• मोहिनीम्: Mohinī
• मोहिनीम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोहिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• श्लक्ष्णया: with gentle
• श्लक्ष्णया: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्लक्ष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — 'with gentle (speech)'

• वाचा: with words
• वाचा: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — 'with speech/words'

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आह्/अह् (धातु; 'to say', perfect stem)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — 'said'

• ब्रह्म-सुता: the daughter of Brahmā
• ब्रह्म-सुता: कर्ता (Apposition to subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ब्रह्मणः सुता); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'daughter of Brahmā'

• तदा: then
• तदा: कालाधिकरण (Time adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (time adverb) — 'then'

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator addressing the king)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Sandhyāvalī
• Mohinī
• Brahmā
• King (Nṛpa)

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It highlights a dharmic ideal in Purāṇic storytelling: even amid tension, speech should be ślakṣṇa (gentle), indicating inner discipline and sattvic conduct.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

Indirectly, it models the devotional virtue of humility and restraint in communication—qualities that support bhakti by reducing ego-driven conflict and keeping the mind calm and receptive.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Vyākaraṇa-style clarity appears in the compound brahma-sutā (“daughter of Brahmā”) and the narrative vocative nṛpa (“O king”), showing how grammatical cues establish relationships and speaker-address structure.