Shloka 11

Adhyaya 1 — Jaimini’s Questions on the Mahabharata and the Origin of the Wise Birds

Sanskrit

कलशब्दमहाहंसं माख्यानपराम्बुजम् ।

कथाविस्तीर्णसलिलं कार्ष्ण वेदमहाह्रदम् ॥

Transliteration

kalaśabda-mahāhaṃsaṃ mākhyāna-parāmbujam |

kathā-vistīrṇa-salilaṃ kārṣṇa veda-mahā-hradam ||

Translation

“ఈ పురాణం మధురధ్వనిగల మహాహంసము; పుణ్యాఖ్యానమనే పరమపద్మము దీని శిరస్సు. విస్తారకథాజలంతో వ్యాపించిన—హే కార్ష్ణ! ఇది వైదికవిద్య యొక్క మహాసరోవరం.”

Word by Word

• kala-śabda-mahā-haṃsam: the great swan of melodious sound
• kala-śabda-mahā-haṃsam: Karma (कर्म/द्वितीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kala + śabda + mahā + haṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; समासः—कलशब्दमहाहंस (तत्पुरुष)

• ākhyāna-para-ambujam: the lotus whose supreme (place) is narrative
• ākhyāna-para-ambujam: Karma (कर्म/द्वितीया) (apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākhyāna + para + ambuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; समासः—आख्यानपराम्बुज (तत्पुरुष)

• kathā-vistīrṇa-salilam: (having) waters spread out as stories
• kathā-vistīrṇa-salilam: Karma (कर्म/द्वितीया) (apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā + vistīrṇa + salila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; समासः—कथाविस्तीर्णसलिल (तत्पुरुष)

• kārṣṇa: O descendant of Kṛṣṇa / pertaining to Kṛṣṇa’s line
• kārṣṇa: Karma (कर्म/द्वितीया) (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; adjective addressing/qualifying the following object (understood ‘(idam)’/‘(tat)’)

• veda-mahā-hradam: the great lake of the Veda
• veda-mahā-hradam: Karma (कर्म/द्वितीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda + mahā + hrada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; समासः—वेदमहाह्रद (तत्पुरुष)

Speakers

• Frame narration/benedictory description within the opening dialogue context (edition-dependent attribution); addressed to “Kārṣṇa”

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Purāṇic poetics
• Vedic authority
• Sacred narrative as a vehicle of dharma and knowledge

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse praises sacred narration as a disciplined, discerning medium of knowledge: like a swan (haṃsa) famed for separating milk from water, the Purāṇa helps the listener extract dharma and truth from the mixed stream of worldly experience, while remaining rooted in Vedic authority.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This is not a direct pancalakṣaṇa unit (sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita) but an introductory ‘māhātmya’-style poetic framing that legitimizes the forthcoming accounts as Veda-aligned; it functions as a preface to the later pancalakṣaṇa materials.

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘lake of Veda’ (veda-mahā-hrada) symbolizes deep, still wisdom; the ‘lotus of narratives’ suggests purity arising from the waters of experience; the ‘great swan’ hints at the paramahaṃsa ideal—inner discrimination (viveka) that moves through the world’s waters without being sullied, drawing out essence through listening and contemplation.