Shloka 16

छत्रोपानहदानफलप्रशंसा — Praise of the Merit of Donating Umbrella and Footwear

Devanagari script

रेणुकोवाच शिरस्तावत्‌ प्रदीप्तं मे पादौ चैव तपोधन । सूर्यतेजोनिरुद्धाहं वृक्षच्छायां समाश्रिता

Transliteration

reṇukovāca śirastāvat pradīptaṃ me pādau caiva tapodhana | sūryatejoniruddhāhaṃ vṛkṣacchāyāṃ samāśritā ||

Translation

Reṇukā thưa: “Ôi bậc khổ hạnh giàu công phu tu tập, đầu thiếp nóng rát, đôi chân cũng bị bỏng. Bị ánh dương rực lửa ngăn bước, thiếp nương dưới bóng cây và đứng đó một lúc để nghỉ.”

Word by Word

• रेणुकोवाच: Renukā said
• Type: Verb
• Root: रेणुका + उवाच(वच्)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• तावत्: so much/so far; to that extent
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत्

• प्रदीप्तम्: heated, burning
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रदीप्त (प्र + दीप्)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• मे: my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• पादौ: two feet
• पादौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• तपोधन: O ascetic rich in austerity
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपोधन
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• सूर्यतेजोनिरुद्धा: checked/held back by the sun’s heat
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूर्य-तेजस् + निरुद्ध (नि + रुध्)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Nominative, Singular

• वृक्षच्छायाम्: tree-shade
• वृक्षच्छायाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष-छाया
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• समाश्रिता: having taken refuge/resorted to
• Type: Verb
• Root: समाश्रित (सम् + आ + श्रि)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Reṇukā
• Tapodhana (an ascetic addressed)
• Sūrya (the sun)
• Vṛkṣa (tree/shade)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even the virtuous and disciplined are subject to bodily limits; dharma includes practical wisdom—seeking shelter and rest when conditions are harsh—rather than forcing oneself into needless suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Reṇukā explains to an ascetic that intense sunlight made her head and feet burn, so she paused and took shelter under a tree’s shade to recover before proceeding.