Shloka 37

The Episode of Cyavana

Cyavana’s Hermitage and the Power of Tapas

Devanagari script

ततो महाभयत्रस्तो गर्भश्चोदरमध्यतः । पपात प्रज्वलन्नेत्रो वैश्वानर इवांगजः

Transliteration

tato mahābhayatrasto garbhaścodaramadhyataḥ | papāta prajvalannetro vaiśvānara ivāṃgajaḥ

Translation

Rồi vì kinh hãi tột cùng, bào thai rơi khỏi giữa lòng dạ; đôi mắt bừng cháy, như một người con sinh ra từ Vaiśvānara—ngọn lửa.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), अव्यय-प्रकारः: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• mahā-bhaya-trastaḥ: terrified by great fear
• mahā-bhaya-trastaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + trasta (कृदन्त; √tras (धातु))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); समासः: तत्पुरुष (determinative) — ‘महाभयेन त्रस्तः’

• garbhaḥ: the embryo/child
• garbhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• udara-madhyataḥ: from the middle of the belly/womb
• udara-madhyataḥ: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: udara (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb) ‘-तः’; समासः: तत्पुरुष — ‘उदरस्य मध्यात्’

• papāta: fell
• papāta: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pat (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• prajvalat-netraḥ: whose eyes were blazing
• prajvalat-netraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√jval (धातु) (वर्तमान कृदन्त) + netra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); समासः: बहुव्रीहि — ‘प्रज्वलन्ति नेत्रे यस्य सः’

• vaiśvānaraḥ: Vaiśvānara (fire)
• vaiśvānaraḥ: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśvānara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• iva: like
• iva: Upamā (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), उपमावाचक (comparative particle)

• aṅga-jaḥ: the body-born son/child
• aṅga-jaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (कृदन्त; √jan (धातु))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); समासः: तत्पुरुष — ‘अङ्गात् जातः’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual voice within the Purāṇic narration; specific dialogue-speaker not explicit from the single verse)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: garbhaśca = garbhaḥ + ca; udaramadhyataḥ = udara-madhyataḥ; ivāṃgajaḥ = iva + aṅgajaḥ; prajvalannetro = prajvalat-netraḥ (bahuvrīhi).

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśvānara

FAQs

Who or what is Vaiśvānara in this verse?

Vaiśvānara commonly denotes the universal fire or digestive/cosmic fire; here it functions as a simile to convey the child’s fiery, blazing-eyed appearance.

What is the main poetic effect of comparing the offspring to fire?

The comparison intensifies the scene’s urgency and supernatural tone, suggesting an extraordinary birth marked by heat, power, and an ominous radiance.

What ethical or reflective lesson can be drawn from the verse’s emphasis on fear?

The verse underscores how overwhelming fear can precipitate sudden, irreversible events—encouraging steadiness of mind and self-control in moments of crisis.