Shloka 138
Means to Slay Tāraka: Girijā’s Birth, Kāma’s Burning, and Umā’s Austerities
शरीरलक्षणानां च परिज्ञानाय कौतुकात् । स्त्रीस्वभावात्स्वदुहितुश्चिंतां हृदि समुद्वहन्
śarīralakṣaṇānāṃ ca parijñānāya kautukāt | strīsvabhāvātsvaduhituściṃtāṃ hṛdi samudvahan
शरीरलक्षणपरिज्ञानाय कौतुकात्, स्त्रीस्वभावात् च, स्वदुहितुः चिन्तां हृदि समुद्वहन्।
Narrator (context not specified in the provided excerpt; exact dialogue-speaker cannot be safely identified from this single verse alone).
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शरीरलक्षणानाम् = शरीर-लक्षणानाम्; स्त्रीस्वभावात् = स्त्री-स्वभावात्; स्वदुहितुश्चिंताम् = स्व-दुहितुः + चिन्ताम्; समुद्वहन् = सम्+उद्+वह् (शतृ).
FAQs
“Śarīralakṣaṇa” refers to bodily marks or signs—features traditionally examined to infer health, temperament, or destiny—here mentioned as something to be understood out of curiosity.
It frames the emotional motive: an instinctive, affectionate concern—especially maternal—leading her to hold anxiety for her daughter in her heart.
It highlights how curiosity and care for loved ones can coexist: even when observing external signs, inner motivations like protectiveness and worry shape one’s actions.