Shloka 4

कृपकृपी-जननम्

The Birth of Kṛpa and Kṛpī; Kṛpa’s Attainment of Astras

Devanagari script

स तु कालेन महता प्राप्य निष्कल्मषं तप: । ब्रह्मर्षिसदृश: पाण्डुबभूव भरतर्षभ,भरतश्रेष्ठ जनमेजय! राजा पाण्डु दीर्घकालतक पापरहित तपस्याका अनुष्ठान करके ब्रह्मर्षियोंके समान प्रभावशाली हो गये थे

Transliteration

sa tu kālena mahatā prāpya niṣkalmaṣaṁ tapaḥ | brahmarṣi-sadṛśaḥ pāṇḍur babhūva bharatarṣabha bharataśreṣṭha janamejaya |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Theo thời gian dài, vua Pāṇḍu, nhờ đạt được khổ hạnh thanh tịnh không vướng tội cấu, đã trở nên uy lực và rực sáng như các bậc brahmarṣi. Hỡi bậc ưu tú của dòng Bhārata, hỡi Janamejaya, nhờ tapas bền bỉ và vô nhiễm, ngài vượt lên trên quyền lực thế tục.”

Word by Word

• सः: he (that one)
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• कालेन: by/with time; in course of time
• कालेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• महता: great/long
• महता: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• प्राप्य: having attained/obtained
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)

• निष्कल्मषम्: sinless; free from impurity
• निष्कल्मषम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्कल्मष
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तपः: austerity/penance
• तपः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ब्रह्मर्षि-सदृशः: like a brahmarshi
• ब्रह्मर्षि-सदृशः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सदृश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पाण्डुः: Pandu
• पाण्डुः: Karta
• Type: ProperNoun
• Root: पाण्डु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बभूव: became
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: लिट् (perfect), Past (perfect), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भरत-ऋषभ: O bull of the Bharatas
• Type: Noun (vocative epithet)
• Root: ऋषभ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pāṇḍu
• Janamejaya
• Bharata lineage (Bharatas)
• Brahmarṣis (seer-sages)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sustained tapas that is niṣkalmaṣa (untainted by wrongdoing) purifies and elevates a person’s stature; ethical discipline, not mere power, is presented as the basis of true greatness—even for a king.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana tells King Janamejaya that Pāṇḍu, after a long period of blameless austerity, attained a brahmarṣi-like radiance and influence, emphasizing his spiritual and moral transformation.