Shloka 4

Devanagari script

गाव ऊचु: कासि देवि कुतो वा त्वं रूपेणाप्रतिमा भुवि । विस्मिता: सम महाभागे तव रूपस्य सम्पदा,गौओंने पूछा--देवि! तुम कौन हो और कहाँसे आयी हो? इस पृथ्वीपर तुम्हारे रूपकी कहीं तुलना नहीं है। महाभागे! तुम्हारी इस रूप-सम्पत्तिसे हमलोग बड़े आश्वर्यमें पड़ गये हैं

Transliteration

gāva ūcuḥ—kāsi devi kuto vā tvaṃ rūpeṇāpratimā bhuvi | vismitāḥ sma mahābhāge tava rūpasya sampadā ||

Translation

गाव ऊचुः— कासि देवि कुतो वा त्वं रूपेणाप्रतिमा भुवि। विस्मिताः स्म महाभागे तव रूपस्य सम्पदा॥

Word by Word

गावःthe cows

ऊचुःsaid

काwho (f.)

असिare

देविO goddess

कुतःfrom where

वाor

त्वम्you

रूपेणby (your) form/beauty

अप्रतिमाincomparable

भुविon earth

विस्मिताःastonished

स्मindeed/just (particle)

महाभागेO greatly fortunate one

तवof you/your

रूपस्यof (your) form/beauty

सम्पदाby the excellence/wealth (of it)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

gāvaḥ (the cows)

devī (a goddess/divine woman)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models dharmic speech: approaching the divine with humility, respectful address, and truthful admiration, recognizing extraordinary excellence without envy or aggression.

What is happening in the narrative?

Within Bhīṣma’s narration, a group of cows encounter a radiant, incomparable divine lady and, struck with wonder, ask her identity and origin while praising her unmatched beauty.