Shloka 37

Devanagari script

वैशग्पायन उवाच ततस्तामशिवां श्र॒ुत्वा वाचं स परुषाक्षराम्‌

Transliteration

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca | tatastām aśivāṃ śrutvā vācaṃ sa paruṣākṣarām |

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana nói: Bấy giờ, nghe những lời điềm gở ấy—thô bạo ngay từ từng âm tiết—ông liền đáp lại sau lời nói ominous kia. Đoạn này nhấn mạnh rằng lời nói, khi tàn nhẫn và mang điềm dữ, tự nó có thể trở thành bước ngoặt của đạo lý và mạch truyện, khơi dậy sợ hãi, phẫn nộ, hoặc một sự đổi hướng quyết liệt.

Word by Word

• वैशम्पायनः: Vaiśampāyana
• वैशम्पायनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशम्पायन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ततः: then; thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• ताम्: that (her/it)
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• अशिवाम्: inauspicious; evil
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशिव
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund), Active

• वाचम्: speech; words
• वाचम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परुषाक्षराम्: harsh-lettered; consisting of harsh syllables
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परुष-अक्षर
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical weight of speech: words that are harsh and inauspicious are not morally neutral—they can wound, inflame conflict, and set harmful consequences in motion. It implicitly commends restraint and auspicious, truthful, measured speech as aligned with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśaṃpāyana reports a turning point: someone (referred to as 'he') hears an ominous, harshly worded utterance. The line prepares the listener for the reaction and the ensuing development triggered by that speech.