Shloka 4

Cyavana’s Yogic Display and Kuśika’s Recognition of Tapas (च्यवन-योगप्रभावः कुशिकस्य तपःप्रशंसा च)

Devanagari script

नहुष उवाच करवाणि प्रियं कि ते तन्‍मे ब्रूहि द्विजोत्तम । सर्व कर्तास्मि भगवन्‌ यद्यपि स्यात्‌ सुदुष्करम्‌

Transliteration

Nahuṣa uvāca: karavāṇi priyaṁ ki te tan me brūhi dvijottama | sarva-kartāsmi bhagavan yady api syāt suduṣkaram ||

Translation

Nahuṣa disse: “Que serviço agradável posso fazer por ti? Dize-me, ó melhor entre os duas-vezes-nascidos. Venerável senhor, estou pronto para fazer tudo — ainda que seja extremamente difícil.”

Word by Word

• नहुषः: Nahusha
• नहुषः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नहुष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), Third, Singular

• करवाणि: may I do
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), First, Singular

• प्रियम्: what is pleasing / a favor
• प्रियम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• किम्: what?
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• ते: for you / to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Dative, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• मे: to me / for me
• मे: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Dative/Genitive, Singular

• ब्रूहि: tell (me)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperative (Lot), Second, Singular

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of the twice-born (brahmin)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-उत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun/Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कर्तास्मि: I am (ready to be) the doer / I will do
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Present (asmi) with agent-noun (karta), First, Singular

• भगवन्: O venerable one / O lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• अपि: even / also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• स्यात्: should be / were to be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), Third, Singular

• सुदुष्करम्: very difficult
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-दुष्कर
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

Speaker

नहुष उवाच

Characters & Entities

• नहुष (Nahuṣa)
• द्विजोत्तम (a Brahmin addressed as 'best of the twice-born')

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a dharmic attitude of humility and readiness to serve the worthy: one should ask what is truly beneficial to the respected teacher/elder and commit to it even when the duty is difficult.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nahuṣa addresses a revered Brahmin, asking what act would please him and declaring his willingness to carry out any instruction, even if it proves extremely hard.