Shloka 9

The Lakṣmī–Nārāyaṇa Vow Narrative

Puṣya Thursday Observance and the Ethics of Fortune

Devanagari script

जगाम नीपवृक्षस्य तलं परमदुर्लभम् । एतस्मिन्नंतरे विप्र लक्ष्मीः संसारतारिणी

Transliteration

jagāma nīpavṛkṣasya talaṃ paramadurlabham | etasminnaṃtare vipra lakṣmīḥ saṃsāratāriṇī

Translation

เขาไปถึงโคนต้นนีปะอันยากยิ่งจะเข้าถึง ในกาลนั้นเอง โอ้พราหมณ์ พระลักษมีผู้ทรงพาสรรพสัตว์ข้ามพ้นสังสารวัฏได้ปรากฏขึ้น

Word by Word

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• नीप-वृक्षस्य: of the nīpa tree
• नीप-वृक्षस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीप-वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्

• तलम्: the base/ground (beneath)
• तलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया (2nd case/accusative), एकवचनम्

• परम-दुर्लभम्: most difficult to obtain
• परम-दुर्लभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम-दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; तलम्-विशेषणम्

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्

• अन्तरे: in the interval/meanwhile
• अन्तरे: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्; काल/अवसरवाचक (in the meantime)

• विप्र: O Brahmin
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्

• लक्ष्मीः: Lakṣmī
• लक्ष्मीः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• संसार-तारिणी: who ferries across worldly existence
• संसार-तारिणी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संसार-तारिणी (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; लक्ष्मी-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narratorial voice (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: forest

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: नीपवृक्षस्य = नीप + वृक्षस्य; परमदुर्लभम् = परम + दुर्लभम्; एतस्मिन्नंतरे = एतस्मिन् + अन्तरे; संसारतारिणी = संसार + तारिणी

Characters & Entities

• Lakṣmī
• nīpa (tree)

FAQs

Who is called “saṃsāratāriṇī” in this verse, and what does it imply?

Lakṣmī is called “saṃsāratāriṇī,” meaning “she who carries one across saṃsāra,” implying her role as a divine aid in liberation from worldly bondage.

What is the narrative significance of the “hard-to-reach base of the nīpa tree”?

It signals a rare or concealed location, often used in Purāṇic storytelling to mark a pivotal meeting, revelation, or sacred event occurring in an exceptional setting.

What ethical or spiritual lesson can be drawn from this verse?

The verse suggests that perseverance toward what is “difficult to attain” can coincide with divine grace—symbolized by Lakṣmī—arriving at the crucial moment.