Shloka 169

Puṣkara Sacrifice: Gāyatrī’s Marriage, Sāvitrī’s Wrath, Rudra’s Test, and the Tīrtha-Māhātmya

Devanagari script

नैकत्रवासो लक्ष्म्यास्तु भविष्यति कदाचन । क्षुद्रा सा चलचित्ता च मूर्खेषु च वसिष्यति

Transliteration

naikatravāso lakṣmyāstu bhaviṣyati kadācana | kṣudrā sā calacittā ca mūrkheṣu ca vasiṣyati

Translation

లక్ష్మీ ఎప్పటికీ ఒకే చోట నిలువదు. ఆమె క్షుద్రస్వభావంతో, చంచలచిత్తంతో మూర్ఖుల మధ్యకూడా నివసిస్తుంది।

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negative particle)

• ekatra: in one place
• ekatra: Adhikarana (location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ekatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• vāsaḥ: dwelling, residence
• vāsaḥ: Karta (subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• lakṣmyāḥ: of Lakṣmī
• lakṣmyāḥ: Sambandha (genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• bhaviṣyati: will be
• bhaviṣyati: Kriya (action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• kadācana: ever, at any time
• kadācana: Kāla (time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācana (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb; with negation = 'ever')

• kṣudrā: petty, mean
• kṣudrā: Viśeṣaṇa (predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• cala-cittā: fickle-minded
• cala-cittā: Viśeṣaṇa (adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cala (प्रातिपदिक) + citta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (चलम् चित्तम् यस्याः/चलचित्ता)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• mūrkheṣu: among fools
• mūrkheṣu: Adhikarana (location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• vasiṣyati: will dwell
• vasiṣyati: Kriya (action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vas (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice not provided in the input excerpt)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: नैकत्रवासो = न + एकत्र + वासः; लक्ष्म्यास्तु = लक्ष्म्याः + तु; चलचित्ता = चल + चित्ता (समास); अन्यत्र स्पष्ट-सन्धि नहीं।

Characters & Entities

• Lakṣmī

FAQs

What does this verse teach about Lakṣmī (fortune)?

It presents fortune as unstable and non-permanent—something that does not reliably “stay” anywhere, warning against complacency and attachment to prosperity.

Why does the verse say Lakṣmī dwells among fools?

It functions as a moral critique: when fortune appears in the hands of the unwise, it can manifest as pettiness and fickleness, implying that wealth without discernment leads to instability and poor conduct.

What is the ethical lesson for a reader?

Do not equate prosperity with virtue or wisdom; cultivate steadiness of mind and discernment, since fortune is changeable and can accompany unwise behavior.