Shloka 1
The Five Narratives (Pañcākhyāna): Desire, Forbearance, Devotion, and Merit of Hearing
श्रीभगवानुवाच । पुरा शर्वः स्त्रियो दृष्ट्वा युवती रूपशालिनीः । गंधर्वकिन्नराणां च मनुष्याणां च सर्वतः
śrībhagavānuvāca | purā śarvaḥ striyo dṛṣṭvā yuvatī rūpaśālinīḥ | gaṃdharvakinnarāṇāṃ ca manuṣyāṇāṃ ca sarvataḥ
Благословенный Господь сказал: В древние времена Шарва (Шива), увидев женщин — юных и прекрасных обликом — среди гандхарвов и киннаров, а также среди людей повсюду,
Śrī Bhagavān (the Blessed Lord, narrator-speaker of the discourse)
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: celestial_realm
Sandhi Resolution Notes: श्रीभगवानुवाच = श्रीभगवान् + उवाच (न् + उ → नु).
FAQs
Śarva is a well-known epithet of Śiva. In Purāṇic usage it highlights Śiva’s divine identity within the wider narrative.
The verse frames the scene across multiple classes of beings—celestial (Gandharvas, Kinnaras) and terrestrial (humans)—to indicate that the observation spans the whole inhabited cosmos.
As an introductory half-verse, it sets up a narrative involving perception of beauty and desire/temptation; the ethical lesson typically unfolds in the subsequent verses, often emphasizing restraint, discernment, or the consequences of attachment.