Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 39

Indratīrtha–Ādityatīrtha: Balarāma’s Ritual Bathing, Dāna, and Sacred-Historical Recollections

Devanagari script

प्रत्युवाच तत: सा त॑ ब्राह्म॒णं चारुदर्शना

Transliteration

pratyuvāca tataḥ sā taṃ brāhmaṇaṃ cārudarśanā

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Rồi người phụ nữ dung mạo đoan trang ấy đáp lời vị Bà-la-môn—một bước ngoặt trong đối thoại, khi lời đáp của nàng bắt đầu định hình hướng đi đạo lý và mạch truyện của đoạn này.

Word by Word

• प्रत्युवाच: replied / spoke in return
• प्रत्युवाच: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-√वच्
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), परोक्षभूत (perfect), 3, singular

• ततः: then / thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• तं: him
• तं: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• ब्राह्मणं: the Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणं: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• चारुदर्शना: of lovely appearance
• चारुदर्शना: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चारु-दर्शन
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• brāhmaṇa
• cārudarśanā (a fair-looking woman)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse functions as a narrative hinge: it foregrounds the ethical weight of speech and response in dharma-discourse, indicating that the woman’s forthcoming reply will carry interpretive and moral significance.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśampāyana reports that a fair-looking woman begins her reply to a brāhmaṇa, signaling the continuation of a dialogue or counsel scene within the Shalya Parva episode.