Shloka 5

Adhyaya 37 — Alarka’s Crisis and the Teaching on Non-Attachment (Madālasa’s Instruction Recalled)

Sanskrit

एवं बहूनि वर्षाणि तस्य पालयतो महीम् ।

धर्मार्थकामसक्तस्य जग्मुरेकमहर्ह्यथा ॥

Transliteration

evaṃ bahūni varṣāṇi tasya pālayato mahīm |

dharmārtha-kāma-saktasya jagmur eka-mahar yathā ||

Translation

இவ்வாறு பூமியை ஆளும் போது, தர்மம்-பொருள்-காமத்தில் ஈடுபட்ட அவனுக்குப் பல ஆண்டுகள் ஒரே நாளைப் போலக் கடந்தன।

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: Prakāra-avyaya (manner adverb/प्रकार-अव्यय)

• bahūni: many
• bahūni: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective of varṣāṇi/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga (neuter/नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā/Dvitīyā-vibhakti (nom/acc; here acc/द्वितीया), Bahuvacana (plural/बहुवचन)

• varṣāṇi: years
• varṣāṇi: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time extent/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga (neuter/नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā-vibhakti (accusative/द्वितीया), Bahuvacana (plural/बहुवचन)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine/पुंलिङ्ग), Ṣaṣṭhī-vibhakti (genitive/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन)

• pālayataḥ: while ruling/protecting
• pālayataḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive absolute-like: ‘while he was ruling’/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pālaya(t) (पालयत्; √पाल् causative, वर्तमान-कृदन्त)
• Form: Vartamāna-kṛdanta (present participle/वर्तमान-कृदन्त), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Ṣaṣṭhī-vibhakti (genitive/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन), Puṃliṅga (masculine/पुंलिङ्ग)

• mahīm: the earth
• mahīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (feminine/स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā-vibhakti (accusative/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन)

• dharmārthakāmasaktasya: of one attached to dharma, wealth, and desire
• dharmārthakāmasaktasya: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective of tasya/‘of him’/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma + artha + kāma + sakta (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine/पुंलिङ्ग), Ṣaṣṭhī-vibhakti (genitive/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन); samāsa: tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘attached to dharma, artha, and kāma’

• jagmuḥ: passed, went by
• jagmuḥ: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु √गम्)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (लिट्, perfect), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष), Bahuvacana (plural/बहुवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• ekam: one
• ekam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective of ahar/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga (neuter/नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā-vibhakti (accusative/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन)

• ahaḥ: day
• ahaḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time measure/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahar (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga (neuter/नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā-vibhakti (accusative/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन)

• yathā: as if, like
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Upamā/vidhi-avyaya (comparative/‘as’ indeclinable/यथा)

Speakers

• Narratorial (frame-speakers not identifiable from provided verses alone)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Time and attachment
• Kingship
• Trivarga (dharma-artha-kāma)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Absorption in worldly aims makes time feel compressed; the verse foreshadows that even a ‘successful’ trivarga life can drift without reflection, setting the stage for later awakening or crisis.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Vaṃśānucarita (narration of a king’s career) rather than sarga/pratisarga/manvantara.

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘many years as one day’ motif points to the dreamlike quality of saṃsāric engagement: when consciousness is outward-turned, life is ‘spent’ rather than ‘known’.