Shloka 20

The Legend of Hemakuṇḍala: Charity, Decline of the Sons, and Yama’s Judgment

Devanagari script

गीतवादित्रनिरतौ वीणावेणुविनोदिनौ । वारस्त्रीशतसंयुक्तौ गायंतौ चेरतुस्तदा

Transliteration

gītavāditraniratau vīṇāveṇuvinodinau | vārastrīśatasaṃyuktau gāyaṃtau ceratustadā

Translation

Mereka tenggelam dalam nyanyian dan alat muzik, bersuka ria dengan vīṇā dan seruling. Ditemani ratusan wanita penghibur, kedua-duanya merayau ketika itu sambil bernyanyi.

Word by Word

• गीतवादित्रनिरतौ: engaged in songs and musical instruments
• गीतवादित्रनिरतौ: Karta (कर्ता/प्रथमा)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गीत + वादित्र + निरत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘गीते वादित्रे च निरतौ’ (समाहार/द्वन्द्व-भावार्थक समास-समुच्चय, परन्तु रूपेण तत्पुरुष-समासवत्)

• वीणावेणुविनोदिनौ: taking pleasure in vīṇā and flute
• वीणावेणुविनोदिनौ: Karta (कर्ता/प्रथमा)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वीणा + वेणु + विनोदिन् (प्रातिपदिक; विनोदिन् = √नुद्/√नन्द् भावार्थे -इन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘वीणावेणुभ्यां विनोदं कुर्वन्तौ/विनोदशीलौ’

• वारस्त्रीशतसंयुक्तौ: associated with hundreds of courtesans
• वारस्त्रीशतसंयुक्तौ: Karta (कर्ता/प्रथमा)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वारस्त्री + शत + संयुक्त (प्रातिपदिक; संयुक्त = √युज् क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘वारस्त्रीशतेन संयुक्तौ’ (instrumental sense in compound; PPP as adjective)

• गायन्तौ: singing (the two)
• गायन्तौ: Karta (कर्ता/प्रथमा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गै (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; क्रियाविशेषणभावे (concomitant action) ‘while singing’

• चेरतुः: they roamed/went about
• चेरतुः: Kriya (क्रिया/मुख्यक्रियापद)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √चर् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्/लङ्-न, लट् (Present/लट्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), द्विवचन; ‘they moved/roamed’

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual speaker not specified from single verse)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: shringara

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: चेरतुः treated as √चर् lṭ 3rd dual; gāyaṃtau normalized to गायन्तौ (anusvāra/orthographic variant).

FAQs

What scene does this verse depict in Svarga-khaṇḍa 30.20?

It portrays two individuals roaming about while singing, immersed in music (vīṇā and flute) and accompanied by many courtesans—an image of entertainment and sensual indulgence.

Does this verse praise music, or is it part of a moral contrast?

By itself it is descriptive, but in Purāṇic narration such descriptions commonly serve to set up a contrast between worldly pleasure and the higher aims of dharma and spiritual discipline; the broader adhyāya context determines the intended moral framing.

What is the ethical lesson a reader may infer from this verse?

A typical inference is vigilance against being carried away by sense-enjoyment and social temptations; the verse can function as a narrative marker highlighting attachment to pleasure before a consequential turning point in the story.