Shloka 34

Adhyaya 74 — King Svarashtra, the Deer-Queen’s Curse, and the Rise of Tamasa Manu

Sanskrit

बालानभिज्ञा वाक्यानां ततः प्रोक्तमिदं मया ।

पितर्यसति नारीभिर्व्रियते हि पतिः स्वयम् ॥

Transliteration

bālānabhijñā vākyānāṃ tataḥ proktam idaṃ mayā / pitary asati nārībhir vriyate hi patiḥ svayam //

Translation

پھر میں نے، بچپن اور گفتار کی نادانی کے سبب، یہ کہا— “واقعی، جب باپ موجود نہ ہو تو عورتیں اپنے لیے شوہر خود چن لیتی ہیں۔”

Word by Word

• bālā: (being) a young girl
• bālā: Karta (कर्ता/qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, nominative (प्रथमा) singular; used substantively/qualifying speaker

• anabhijñā: unaware / ignorant
• anabhijñā: Karta (कर्ता/qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-abhijña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, nominative (प्रथमा) singular; negative prefix an-; qualifies 'bālā'

• vākyānām: of (my) words
• vākyānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/possessive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, genitive (षष्ठी) plural; 'of words/utterances'

• tataḥ: therefore / then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (अनन्तर), indeclinable

• proktam: was spoken
• proktam: Kriya (क्रिया/impersonal passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु) → prokta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), neuter, nominative/accusative singular; impersonal passive 'was spoken'

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (कर्म/utterance content)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, neuter, nominative/accusative (प्रथमा/द्वितीया) singular; refers to the statement

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (करण/agent-in-instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, instrumental (तृतीया) singular; agent with passive 'proktam'

• pitari: when the father (is)
• pitari: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, locative (सप्तमी) singular

• asati: absent / not present
• asati: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/locative absolute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: asat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, locative (सप्तमी) singular; present participial adjective from √as 'to be' with negation sense 'not being/present'; forms locative absolute with 'pitari'

• nārībhiḥ: by women
• nārībhiḥ: Karana (करण/agent-in-instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, instrumental (तृतीया) plural; agent in passive with 'vriyate'

• vriyate: is chosen (as husband)
• vriyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛ (धातु) [vriyate]
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष) singular, passive/ātmanepada usage (कर्मणि/आत्मनेपद)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) expressing emphasis/indeed

• patiḥ: a husband
• patiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, nominative (प्रथमा) singular; subject of 'vriyate'

• svayam: by oneself / of one’s own accord
• svayam: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: Reflexive adverb (स्वयम्), indeclinable

Speakers

• The woman/narrator (self-exculpatory explanation) to the muni

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "karuna", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Marriage norms in Purāṇic society
• Agency vs guardianship
• Speech and accountability

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The speaker frames her earlier stance as youthful ignorance, appealing to social norms about guardianship and marriage choice. The ethical tension lies between personal agency and prescribed dharma; the narrative uses this tension to escalate the curse-and-plea sequence.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

A dharma-related aside within narrative; not directly sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṃśa enumeration.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Father present/absent’ can symbolically indicate the presence/absence of inner guidance (buddhi/niyama). When guidance is absent, choices are made impulsively—here leading into karmic entanglement.