Shloka 17
The Churning of the Ocean
Samudra Manthana
त्वं च देहि त्वं च देहि त्वं च देहीति चाब्रुवन् । न शक्तोऽस्मि न शक्तोऽस्मि न शक्तोऽस्मीति चाब्रुवन्
tvaṃ ca dehi tvaṃ ca dehi tvaṃ ca dehīti cābruvan | na śakto'smi na śakto'smi na śakto'smīti cābruvan
وہ کہتے رہے، “تم دو—دو، دو!” اور وہ جواب دیتا رہا، “میں قادر نہیں—میں قادر نہیں، میں قادر نہیں۔”
Narrative dialogue (unspecified in the provided excerpt); a group of petitioners demand, and the addressed person responds.
Primary Rasa: hasya
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Sandhi Resolution Notes: dehīti = dehi + iti; cābruvan = ca + abruvan; śakto'smi = śaktaḥ + asmi; śakto'smīti = śaktaḥ + asmi + iti.
FAQs
It contrasts social pressure to give (dāna) with the practical reality of limited capacity, implying that ethical duty must be balanced with genuine ability.
Repetition (anuprāsa-like emphasis) dramatizes insistence versus helplessness, making the moral tension vivid and memorable.
Not explicitly; it records a dialogue. The ethical reading is that giving is praised, but claiming inability indicates constraint—later context in the chapter typically clarifies whether the claim is truthful or evasive.