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Shloka 47

Adhyaya 18Arjuna Declines the Throne; Garga Directs Him to Dattatreya; The Gods Defeat the Daityas through Dattatreya’s Vision and the Movement of Lakshmi

दत्तात्रेयस्ततो देवान् विहस्येदमथाब्रवीत् ।

दिष्ट्या वर्धथ दैत्यानामेषा लक्ष्मीः शिरोगता ।

सप्त स्थानान्यतिक्रान्ता नवमं यमुपैष्यति ॥

dattātreyas tato devān vihasyedam athābravīt | diṣṭyā vardhatha daityānām eṣā lakṣmīḥ śirogatā | sapta sthānāny atikrāntā navamaṃ yam upaiṣyati ||

แล้วทัตตาเตรยะหัวเราะกล่าวแก่เหล่าเทพว่า “ขอให้ศรีของพวกไทตยะเพิ่มพูนเถิด; ‘ลักษมี’ นี้ได้มาสถิตบนศีรษะของพวกเขาแล้ว! ครั้นผ่านเจ็ดสถานี นางจักไปสู่สถานีที่เก้า”

dattātreyaḥDattātreya
dattātreyaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootdatta (दद्-धातु, क्त-कृदन्त) + ātreya (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-नाम (proper noun)
tataḥthen
tataḥ:
Kāla (काल/Temporal)
TypeIndeclinable
Roottataḥ (अव्यय)
Formअव्ययम् (then/thereupon)
devānthe gods
devān:
Karma (कर्म/Object)
TypeNoun
Rootdeva (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन
vihasyahaving laughed
vihasya:
Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootvi-has (हस्-धातु)
Formल्यप्/क्त्वा-समकक्ष अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having laughed’
idamthis
idam:
Karma (कर्म/Object)
TypeNoun
Rootidam (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘this (speech)’
athathen
atha:
Nipāta (निपात/Discourse marker)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootatha (अव्यय)
Formअव्ययम् (then/now)
abravītsaid
abravīt:
Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
TypeVerb
Rootbrū (धातु)
Formलङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्
diṣṭyāfortunately
diṣṭyā:
Nipāta/Prakāra (निपात/भाव)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootdiṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतृतीया-एकवचन रूपेण अव्ययवत् (interjectional instrumental: ‘by good fortune’)
vardhathayou prosper/grow
vardhatha:
Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
TypeVerb
Rootvṛdh (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्
daityānāmof the Daityas
daityānām:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
TypeNoun
Rootdaitya (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन
eṣāthis (she)
eṣā:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootetad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
lakṣmīḥFortune/Lakṣmī
lakṣmīḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject apposition)
TypeNoun
Rootlakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
śiraḥ-gatāgone to the head (mounted on the head)
śiraḥ-gatā:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject complement)
TypeAdjective
Rootśiras (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (गम्-धातु, क्त-कृदन्त)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (śirasi gatā)
saptaseven
sapta:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootsapta (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
Formअव्ययवत् संख्या-विशेषणम्; (here qualifying ‘sthānāni’)
sthānāniplaces
sthānāni:
Karma (कर्म/Object)
TypeNoun
Rootsthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन
atikrāntāhaving passed beyond
atikrāntā:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeAdjective
Rootati-kram (क्रम्-धातु) + atikrānta (क्त-कृदन्त)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past active sense in intransitive)
navamamthe ninth
navamam:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootnavama (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषणम्
yamwhich
yam:
Karma (कर्म/Object)
TypeNoun
Rootyad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)
upaiṣyatiwill go/approach
upaiṣyati:
Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
TypeVerb
Rootupa-√i (इ-धातु; upa + i)
Formलृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्
Dattātreya addressing the Devas (reported by Garga)
DattātreyaDevasLakṣmī (as concept/metaphor)
Lakṣmī (used ironically as ‘fortune’/śrī; not Devi Māhātmyam goddess-form)
IronyKarmic retribution foreshadowingMockery of adharmaFate (diṣṭi)

FAQs

Dattātreya’s laughter signals the inevitability of consequence: what the Daityas call ‘fortune’ is actually the setup for their fall. Adharma often mistakes immediate gain for lasting prosperity.

A narrative hinge that foreshadows outcomes (vaṃśānucarita-style moral episode), not a direct pancalakṣaṇa passage.

‘Lakṣmī on the head’ is double-edged: externally, they bear the palanquin; internally, they have enthroned craving above discernment. The cryptic ‘seven stations… ninth’ functions as omen-language: a destined transition from apparent elevation to a terminal locus (often read in Purāṇic idiom as the movement toward ruin/niyati).