Mahabharata 7.204.84 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 204, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

बालमड्कगतं कृत्वा स्वयं पञ्चशिखं पुन: । जिस समय वे तीनों पुरोंको दग्ध कर रहे थे, उस समय पार्वतीदेवी भी उन्हें देखनेके लिये एक पाँच शिखावाले बालकको गोदमें लेकर वहाँ गयीं ।।

Transliteration

bālam aṅkagataṃ kṛtvā svayaṃ pañcaśikhaṃ punaḥ | umā jijñāsamānā vai ko ’yam ity abravīt surān ||

Translation

แล้วอุมาอุ้มเด็กน้อยผู้มีมวยผมห้ายอดไว้บนตักด้วยพระองค์เอง ด้วยความใคร่รู้จึงตรัสถามเหล่าเทพว่า “ผู้นี้คือผู้ใด?”

Word by Word

• उमा: Umā (Pārvatī)
• उमा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• जिज्ञासमाना: inquiring, wishing to know
• जिज्ञासमाना: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: जिज्ञास्
• Form: शानच् (present active participle), Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अयम्: this (one)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• अब्रवीत्: said, spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सुरान्: to the gods
• सुरान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Umā (Pārvatī)
• the gods (surāḥ)
• five-crested boy (pañcaśikha bāla)
• the three cities (tripura) (contextual)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid overwhelming displays of power, one should retain discernment and inquire into identity and intention; Umā’s jijñāsā models thoughtful attention rather than passive awe.

What is happening in the narrative?

As the three cities are being burned (context), Umā arrives to witness the event, holding a five-crested boy in her lap, and she asks the assembled gods, “Who is this?”