Shloka 20

उत्तङ्कोपाख्यानप्रारम्भः — Uttanka’s Tapas, Viṣṇu-stuti, and the Dhundhumāra Prophecy

Opening

Devanagari script

निबोध च शुभां वाणी यां प्रवक्ष्यामि तेडनघ । न ब्राह्मणे परिभव: कर्तव्यस्ते कदाचन

Transliteration

nibodha ca śubhāṁ vāṇīṁ yāṁ pravakṣyāmi te 'nagha | na brāhmaṇe paribhavaḥ kartavyas te kadācana ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya disse: “Ouve com atenção estas palavras auspiciosas que te direi, ó irrepreensível. Nunca, em tempo algum, deves mostrar desprezo ou insultar um brāhmaṇa.”

Word by Word

• निबोध: know; understand; listen
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√बुध्
• Form: Loṭ (imperative), 2, singular, Parasmaipada

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• शुभाम्: auspicious; good
• शुभाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• वाणीम्: speech; words
• वाणीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाणी
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• याम्: which
• याम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall declare; I will tell
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√वच्
• Form: Luṭ (periphrastic future), 1, singular, Parasmaipada

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: dative, singular

• अनघ: O sinless one
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनघ
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• ब्राह्मणे: towards/in the case of a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

• परिभवः: insult; contempt; disrespect
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिभव
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• कर्तव्यः: is to be done; should be done
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: gerundive (tavya), masculine, nominative, singular

• ते: by you/your (for you)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: genitive, singular

• कदाचन: ever; at any time
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• brāhmaṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should never show contempt or cause humiliation to a brāhmaṇa; respectful conduct and restrained speech are presented as essential to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

The sage Mārkaṇḍeya begins a direct instruction, asking the listener to attend to his auspicious counsel, and he opens with a clear ethical prohibition against disrespecting brāhmaṇas.