Shloka 20

उत्तङ्कोपाख्यानप्रारम्भः — Uttanka’s Tapas, Viṣṇu-stuti, and the Dhundhumāra Prophecy

Opening

Devanagari script

निबोध च शुभां वाणी यां प्रवक्ष्यामि तेडनघ । न ब्राह्मणे परिभव: कर्तव्यस्ते कदाचन

Transliteration

nibodha ca śubhāṁ vāṇīṁ yāṁ pravakṣyāmi te 'nagha | na brāhmaṇe paribhavaḥ kartavyas te kadācana ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya nói: “Hỡi người vô tì vết, hãy lắng nghe kỹ những lời cát tường mà ta sẽ nói với ngươi. Chớ bao giờ, vào bất cứ lúc nào, tỏ lòng khinh mạn hay xúc phạm một brāhmaṇa.”

Word by Word

• निबोध: know; understand; listen
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√बुध्
• Form: Loṭ (imperative), 2, singular, Parasmaipada

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

• शुभाम्: auspicious; good
• शुभाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• वाणीम्: speech; words
• वाणीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाणी
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• याम्: which
• याम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall declare; I will tell
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√वच्
• Form: Luṭ (periphrastic future), 1, singular, Parasmaipada

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: dative, singular

• अनघ: O sinless one
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनघ
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• ब्राह्मणे: towards/in the case of a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

• परिभवः: insult; contempt; disrespect
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिभव
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• कर्तव्यः: is to be done; should be done
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: gerundive (tavya), masculine, nominative, singular

• ते: by you/your (for you)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: genitive, singular

• कदाचन: ever; at any time
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• brāhmaṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should never show contempt or cause humiliation to a brāhmaṇa; respectful conduct and restrained speech are presented as essential to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

The sage Mārkaṇḍeya begins a direct instruction, asking the listener to attend to his auspicious counsel, and he opens with a clear ethical prohibition against disrespecting brāhmaṇas.