Shloka 42

Kuru's Consecration — Kuru’s Consecration and the Sanctification of Samantapañcaka (Kurukshetra)

Devanagari script

अष्टौ सहस्राणि धरनुर्धराणां ये वारयन्तीह सुदुष्कृतान् वै स्नातुं न यच्छन्ति महोग्ररूपास्तवन्यस्य भूताः सचराचराणाम्

Transliteration

aṣṭau sahasrāṇi dharanurdharāṇāṃ ye vārayantīha suduṣkṛtān vai snātuṃ na yacchanti mahograrūpāstavanyasya bhūtāḥ sacarācarāṇām

Translation

ଏଠାରେ ପୃଥିବୀଧାରୀ ଆଠ ହଜାର ମହାବଳୀ ରକ୍ଷକ-ଭୂତ ଅଛନ୍ତି, ଯେମାନେ ନିଶ୍ଚୟ ଅତିଦୁଷ୍କୃତମାନଙ୍କୁ ରୋକନ୍ତି। ସେମାନେ ଅତ୍ୟନ୍ତ ଉଗ୍ରରୂପୀ ଓ ସେମାନଙ୍କୁ ସ୍ନାନ କରିବାକୁ ଦିଅନ୍ତି ନାହିଁ; ସେମାନେ ସେହି ପ୍ରଭୁଙ୍କର ଭୂତ, ଚରାଚର ସମସ୍ତ ପ୍ରାଣୀଙ୍କର ରକ୍ଷକ।

Word by Word

• aṣṭau: eight
• aṣṭau: Saṅkhyā-viśeṣaṇa (संख्याविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
• Form: Numeral (संख्यावाचक), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); agreeing with implied 'guardians/ones'

• sahasrāṇi: thousands
• sahasrāṇi: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); used as count-unit with aṣṭau (eight thousands)

• dhara-nurdharāṇām: of the bearers and bow-bearers (supporters/archers)
• dhara-nurdharāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhara (प्रातिपदिक) + nurdhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva (द्वन्द्व) compound (co-ordinate); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Relative pronoun (यद्), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• vārayanti: ward off, restrain
• vārayanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛ (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्, Present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); causative sense 'to prevent/ward off' (णिच्-भाव implied by usage)

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb of place (देशवाचक अव्यय)

• suduṣkṛtān: very wicked (people)
• suduṣkṛtān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (अव्यय) + duṣkṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) intensifying compound; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Nipāta (निपात/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निश्चयार्थक निपात)

• snātum: to bathe
• snātum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमुन्), purpose sense

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध निपात)

• yacchanti: allow, permit
• yacchanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yam (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्, Present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• mahā-ugra-rūpāḥ: of very fierce form
• mahā-ugra-rūpāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ugra (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) multi-member compound; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); adjective qualifying bhūtāḥ/ye

• tava: of you, your
• tava: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• anyasya: of another
• anyasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुं), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhūtāḥ: beings, spirits
• bhūtāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक; √bhū-कृत)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• sa-carācarāṇām: of (all) moving and unmoving beings
• sa-carācarāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (अव्यय) + cara (प्रातिपदिक) + acara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva (द्वन्द्व) compound with prefix sa- 'with'; Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन); collective 'of moving and non-moving'

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada (typical narrative frame for tīrtha-māhātmya sections)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (implied by 'śivaś ca' in the immediate context of the passage)
• Viṣṇu (not explicit here; non-sectarian frame may still apply at chapter level)

Key Themes

• Tīrtha-māhātmya
• Ritual purity via snāna
• Moral eligibility (adhikāra) for sacred rites
• Protection of sacred space

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Tīrtha-snāna is not treated as a mechanical purifier for deliberate wrongdoing; the text emphasizes moral fitness. The 'fierce guardians' symbolize that sacred merit (puṇya) is approached through restraint, repentance, and right conduct—not by exploiting ritual as a loophole.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This belongs chiefly to Vamśānucarita/Ākhyāna-adjacent material in Purāṇas (narrative discourse) but functionally it is a Māhātmya (glorification of a sacred place). It is not sarga/pratisarga; it is a tīrtha-vidhi and tīrtha-stuti segment embedded in the larger Purāṇic narration.

What is the symbolic significance?

The 'earth-bearers' and 'terrible-formed beings' function as dharma-bound gatekeepers: sacred geography is portrayed as alive, guarded, and ethically responsive. The moving/immoving totality (sacarācara) underscores cosmic order—tīrtha is a microcosm of ṛta/dharma.