Shloka 9

The Slaying of Tāreya

Devanagari script

स्वर्णपुंखाः शरा लग्ना देहे दैत्यपतेर्भृशं । रेजुस्ते स्वर्णशकला यथा कृष्णशिलोच्चये

Transliteration

svarṇapuṃkhāḥ śarā lagnā dehe daityapaterbhṛśaṃ | rejuste svarṇaśakalā yathā kṛṣṇaśiloccaye

Translation

سونے کے پروں والے تیر دَیتیہ پتی کے جسم میں گہرائی تک پیوست ہو کر یوں چمکے جیسے سیاہ پتھر کے ٹیلے پر سونے کے ذرے دمک اٹھیں۔

Word by Word

• svarṇa-puṅkhāḥ: gold-fletched
• svarṇa-puṅkhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svarṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + puṅkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (material/attribute: 'golden-feathered'), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying śarāḥ)

• śarāḥ: arrows
• śarāḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• lagnāḥ: were stuck
• lagnāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: lag (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि/भावे (stuck/attached)

• dehe: in the body
• dehe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• daitya-pateḥ: of the demon-lord
• daitya-pateḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('lord of demons'), पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• bhṛśam: greatly/excessively
• bhṛśam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhṛśam (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• rejuḥ: shone
• rejuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rāj (धातु)
• Form: लिट्/लुङ्-सम्भाव्य पाठभेद; रूपतः लिट् (Perfect) परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन (they shone)

• te: those (they)
• te: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• svarṇa-śakalāḥ: gold fragments
• svarṇa-śakalāḥ: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + śakala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष ('pieces of gold'), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; उपमान-प्रयोगे (as a simile term)

• yathā: as/like
• yathā: Upamā-dyotaka (उपमाद्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक अव्यय (comparative particle: 'as/like')

• kṛṣṇa-śilā-uccaye: on a heap of black stones
• kṛṣṇa-śilā-uccaye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + śilā (प्रातिपदिक) + uccaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष ('black-stone heap'), पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (third-person epic narration; specific speaker not stated in this verse alone)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: daityapateḥ bhṛśam → daityapater bhṛśam; rejuḥ te → rejus te; kṛṣṇa-śilā-uccaye → kṛṣṇaśiloccaye.

Characters & Entities

• Daityapati (lord of the Daityas)

FAQs

What image does this verse create through its simile?

It compares the bright, golden arrows lodged in the Daitya-lord’s body to glittering gold flakes standing out against a dark mass of black stone—highlighting stark contrast and dramatic intensity.

Who is the “Daityapati” mentioned here?

“Daityapati” is a title meaning “lord of the Daityas” (a class of anti-god/demonic beings). The specific named figure is not given in this single verse.

What ethical or philosophical point is implied by this verse?

Rather than teaching doctrine directly, the verse uses vivid poetic description to underscore the consequences of conflict and the overpowering force of the attacker—common Purāṇic narrative technique to intensify moral drama across the wider episode.