Shloka 87

Devanagari script

यक्ष उवाच तप: कि लक्षणं प्रोक्तं को दमश्न प्रकीर्तित: । क्षमा च का परा प्रोक्ता का च ह्वी: परिकीर्तिता,यक्षने पूछा--तपका क्या लक्षण बताया गया है? दम किसे कहा गया है? उत्तम क्षमा क्या बतायी गयी है? और लज्जा किसको कहा गया है?

Transliteration

yakṣa uvāca tapaḥ ki lakṣaṇaṃ proktaṃ ko damaś ca prakīrtitaḥ | kṣamā ca kā parā proktā kā ca hrīḥ parikīrtitā ||

Translation

O Yakṣa perguntou: “Qual foi declarado ser o sinal distintivo da austeridade (tapas)? O que é louvado como autocontrole (dama)? O que é ensinado como o mais alto perdão (kṣamā)? E o que se chama modéstia, senso de pudor (hrī)?”

Word by Word

यक्षःthe Yaksha

उवाचsaid

तपःausterity; penance

किम्what?

लक्षणम्mark; characteristic; definition

प्रोक्तम्said; declared

कःwho? / what (masc.)?

दमःself-control; restraint

चand

प्रकीर्तितःproclaimed; described

क्षमाforbearance; forgiveness

चand

काwhat? (fem.)

पराsupreme; highest

प्रोक्ताsaid; declared

काwhat? (fem.)

चand

ह्रीःmodesty; shame; bashfulness

परिकीर्तिताdescribed; defined

Speaker

यक्ष उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yaksha

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a dharma-inquiry by asking for precise ethical definitions: what truly counts as austerity (tapas), what constitutes self-restraint (dama), what is the highest forgiveness (kṣamā), and what is genuine modesty or moral shame (hrī). It signals that virtue is not merely outward practice but must be understood by its essential marks.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Yaksha–prashna episode of the Vana Parva, the Yaksha questions the interlocutor with probing moral and philosophical queries. Here, the Yaksha asks for definitions of key virtues—tapas, dama, kṣamā, and hrī—testing the respondent’s grasp of dharma and inner discipline.