Shloka 13

Adhyaya 3 — The Dharmapakshis’ Past-Life Curse and Indra’s Test of Truthfulness

Sanskrit

कौतूहलपरो भूत्वा रोमाञ्चपटसंवृतः ।

उवाच तत्त्वतो ब्रूत प्रवृत्तेः कारणं गिरः ॥

Transliteration

kautūhalaparo bhūtvā romāñcapaṭasaṃvṛtaḥ | uvāca tattvato brūta pravṛtteḥ kāraṇaṃ giraḥ ||

Translation

కుతూహలంతో నిండినవాడై, రోమాంచంతో దేహం కప్పబడగా, అతడు పలికాడు—“యథార్థానుసారం నిజముగా చెప్పండి; ఈ ప్రవృత్తిరూప కర్మలో నిమగ్నతకు కారణం ఏమిటి?”

Word by Word

• कौतूहल-परः: eager with curiosity
• कौतूहल-परः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कौतूहल (प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कौतूहले परः = ‘intent on curiosity’), पुल्लिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• रोमाञ्च-पट-संवृतः: covered with a mantle of gooseflesh (thrilled)
• रोमाञ्च-पट-संवृतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रोमाञ्च (प्रातिपदिक) + पट (प्रातिपदिक) + सं-वृत (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्ताधार)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (instrumental/means sense: ‘covered with a cloth of horripilation’), क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (संवृत = covered), पुल्लिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• तत्त्वतः: truly, in essence
• तत्त्वतः: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्त्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘from the truth/essentially’)

• ब्रूत: tell (you all)
• ब्रूत: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), बहुवचन

• प्रवृत्तेः: of the occurrence/activity
• प्रवृत्तेः: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रवृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (genitive), एकवचन

• कारणम्: cause
• कारणम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गिरः: words, utterances
• गिरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिर् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Vedic/epic form; = गिरयः)

Speakers

• Jaimini (questioner) addressing Mārkaṇḍeya (teacher)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Dharma inquiry
• Causality (kāraṇa-vicāra)
• Pravṛtti vs. nivṛtti
• Epistemic humility and discipleship

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse models the dhārmic posture of inquiry: genuine wonder (kautūhala) coupled with a demand for truth (tattvataḥ). Ethically, it implies that action (pravṛtti) should not be blind habit; one should understand its root-cause—whether desire, duty, social order, karmic momentum, or scriptural injunction—before committing to it.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This is primarily a frame-dialogue verse that sets up doctrinal exposition rather than directly narrating sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita. Indirectly, it prepares for dharma and cosmological reasoning that later supports manvantara and genealogical materials, but the verse itself functions as a ‘praśna’ (inquiry) initiating the teaching.

What is the esoteric significance?

Romāñca (horripilation) signals an inner resonance when approaching tattva (principle/reality). Esoterically, the question ‘what causes pravṛtti?’ points to the subtle drivers of embodiment—vāsanā (latent tendencies), guṇas (especially rajas), and karmic impetus—inviting a shift from merely acting to witnessing the forces that propel action.