Shloka 20

Adhyāya 125: Raṅga-pradarśana — Arjuna’s Entry and Astric Demonstration (रङ्गप्रदर्शनम्)

Devanagari script

कथं दीनस्य सततं त्वामासाद्य रहोगताम्‌ | त॑ विचिन्तयत:ः शापं प्रहर्ष. समजायत

Transliteration

kathaṁ dīnasya satataṁ tvām āsādya rahogatām | taṁ vicintayataḥ śāpaṁ praharṣaḥ samajāyata |

Translation

Kuntī nói: “Người vốn luôn u sầu, tiều tụy vì mãi nghĩ đến lời nguyền ấy. Vậy khi gặp nàng một mình nơi chốn vắng, sao trong lòng người lại bừng lên niềm hân hoan do dục vọng?”

Word by Word

• कथम्: how?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

• दीनस्य: of the dejected/poor one
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीन
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• सततम्: always, constantly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सततम्

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: —, Accusative, Singular

• आसाद्य: having approached/attained
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√सद्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)

• रहोगताम्: gone into solitude; being in private
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रहोगत
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• तत्: that (then/thereupon)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• विचिन्तयतः: of (him) thinking/pondering
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√चिन्त्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• शापम्: curse
• शापम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रहर्षः: joy, exhilaration
• प्रहर्षः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रहर्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• समजायत: arose, came into being
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√जन्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Ātmanepada

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• śāpa (curse)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ethical-psychological tension: a mind weighed down by remorse or fear of a curse is ordinarily joyless, yet desire can abruptly override sorrow and produce exhilaration. It implicitly warns that kāma (desire) can cloud judgment even under grave moral pressure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana questions the plausibility and motive of a man’s sudden delight: although he was constantly dejected while contemplating a curse, upon encountering a woman alone in seclusion he experiences praharṣa (a thrill of joy), suggesting desire-driven excitement despite his ongoing distress.