Mahabharata 1.78.26 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 78, Shloka 26

ययाति-देवयानी-शर्मिष्ठा विवादः — Śukra’s Curse and the Disclosure of Lineage

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच सा तत्र त्वरितं गत्वा घूर्णिकासुरमन्दिरम्‌

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca sā tatra tvaritaṃ gatvā ghūrṇikāsuramandiram

Translation

வைஶம்பாயனன் கூறினான்—அவள் விரைந்து அங்கே சென்று, கூர்ணிகாசுரனின் இல்லத்தை அடைந்தாள்.

Word by Word

• वैशम्पायनः: Vaiśampāyana
• वैशम्पायनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशम्पायन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular

• सा: she
• सा: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• त्वरितम्: quickly / in haste
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वरित
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• गत्वा: having gone
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Absolutive (Ktva), Parasmaipada (usage)

• घूर्णिकासुरमन्दिरम्: the house/abode of the asura Ghūrṇikā
• घूर्णिकासुरमन्दिरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दिर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Ghūrṇikāsura
• Ghūrṇikāsura's dwelling (mandira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how urgency and external danger can compel swift action; ethically, it frames a moment where circumstances press a character toward immediate decision, setting up consequences that the narrative will evaluate through later outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator states that a woman (referred to simply as 'she') hastens to the residence of an asura named Ghūrṇikāsura, indicating a transition into a dangerous or extraordinary setting.