Shloka 7

Devanagari script

त॑ देवमब्रवीद्‌ भीता बन्धूनां राजसत्तम । व्रीडाविह्ललया वाचा शापत्रस्ता विशाम्पते

Transliteration

taṁ devam abravīd bhītā bandhūnāṁ rājasattama | vrīḍāvihvalayā vācā śāpatrastā viśāmpate ||

Translation

Vì lo sợ cho thân tộc, nàng cất lời thưa với đấng thần linh ấy, hỡi bậc vương thượng. Lời nàng run rẩy, ngập ngừng vì hổ thẹn, bởi nàng bị chấn động bởi nỗi sợ lời nguyền, hỡi chúa của muôn dân.

Word by Word

तत्that (him/it)

देवम्the god / divine one

अब्रवीत्said / spoke

भीताfrightened

बन्धूनाम्of (her) kinsmen

राजसत्तमO best of kings

व्रीडाविह्वलयाwith a voice faltering from shame

वाचाwith (her) speech/voice

शापत्रस्ताterrified of a curse

विशाम्पतेO lord of the people

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

व

वैशम्पायन (narrator/speaker)

द

देव (a divine being, unnamed)

ब

बन्धु (kinsmen/relatives, unnamed)

र

राजसत्तम (addressed king, unnamed)

व

विशाम्पति (addressed ruler, unnamed)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ethical tension: fear for one’s family and fear of incurring a curse can restrain speech and action. It underscores how shame (vrīḍā) and moral dread (śāpa-bhaya) shape conduct, especially when addressing a higher power.

What is happening in the narrative?

A woman, anxious about the fate of her relatives, speaks to a divine being. She is emotionally overwhelmed—her voice falters from shame—and she is frightened by the possibility of a curse, while the narrator addresses the listening king with honorific epithets.