Shloka 18

Devanagari script

तब कुपित हुए मुनिने उससे कहा--“वसिष्ठको शीघ्र यहाँ बहाकर ले आओ, जिससे आज मैं इनका वध कर डालूँ।' यह सुनकर सरस्वती नदी व्यथित हो उठी ।। प्राउ्जलिं तु ततः कृत्वा पुण्डरीकनिभेक्षणा । प्राकम्पत भूशं भीता वायुनेवाहता लता,वह कमलनयना अबला हाथ जोड़कर वायुके झकोरेसे हिलायी गयी लताके समान अत्यन्त भयभीत हो जोर-जोरसे काँपने लगी

Transliteration

praāñjaliṁ tu tataḥ kṛtvā puṇḍarīkanibhekṣaṇā | prākampata bhṛśaṁ bhītā vāyunā ivāhatā latā ||

Translation

Bấy giờ vị hiền triết đang phẫn nộ bảo nàng: “Hãy để dòng nước đưa Vasiṣṭha mau đến đây, để hôm nay ta giết hắn!” Nghe vậy, sông Sarasvatī đau đớn bàng hoàng. Rồi nàng—mắt như hoa sen—chắp tay khẩn cầu, run rẩy dữ dội vì sợ hãi, như dây leo bị cơn gió mạnh quật cho rung chuyển.

Word by Word

प्राञ्जलिम्with joined hands (añjali)

तुbut/indeed

ततःthen/thereupon

कृत्वाhaving done/made

पुण्डरीक-निभ-ईक्षणाshe whose eyes are like lotuses

प्राकम्पत्trembled

भृशम्greatly/exceedingly

भीताfrightened

वायुनाby the wind

इवlike/as if

आहताstruck/lashed

लताcreeper/vine

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sarasvatī (river-goddess)

Vasiṣṭha (mentioned in the narrative context)

wind (vāyu)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral danger of uncontrolled anger, especially in those with spiritual authority. The river-goddess’ fearful supplication suggests that power—ascetic or divine—should be governed by dharma and restraint, not by rage or the impulse to harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

After hearing a threat involving Vasiṣṭha, Sarasvatī is depicted as a lotus-eyed woman who joins her hands and trembles intensely, compared to a vine shaken by wind—signaling fear and a plea to avert impending violence.