Shloka 43

सावित्री-यमसंवादः

Sāvitrī’s Dialogue with Yama and the Restoration of Satyavān

Devanagari script

उपवासतपः:शीला तत्रास पृथुलेक्षणा । उवास दुःखवसतिं फलमूलकृताशना,उपवास और तपस्या करनेका उनका स्वभाव-सा बन गया था। विशाल नेत्रोंवाली जानकी वहाँ फल-मूल खाकर बड़े दुःखसे दिन बिताती थीं

Transliteration

upavāsa-tapaḥśīlā tatrāsa pṛthulekṣaṇā | uvāsa duḥkha-vasatiṁ phala-mūla-kṛtāśanā ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Mārkaṇḍeya: Doon, ang babaeng malalaki ang mata—na wari’y likas na sa kanya ang pag-aayuno at pagtalima sa austeridad—ay namuhay sa tahanang puno ng dalamhati, na tanging mga prutas at ugat ang ikinabubuhay.

Word by Word

उपवासतपःशीलाhaving fasting and austerity as her habit

तत्रthere

आसwas

पृथुलेक्षणाlarge-eyed

उवासdwelt/lived

दुःखवसतिम्a sorrowful dwelling/abode

फलमूलकृताशनाone whose food was made of fruits and roots

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Pṛthulekṣaṇā (Jānakī/Sītā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic resilience: when faced with hardship, one can preserve inner purity through self-restraint (upavāsa) and disciplined endurance (tapas), rather than yielding to despair or moral compromise.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes Jānakī (Sītā) living in distress, her life marked by fasting and austerity, sustaining herself only on fruits and roots—an image of steadfastness amid suffering.