Shloka 8

ययातेर्वानप्रस्थतपःस्वर्गारोहणम् | Yayāti’s Vānaprastha Austerities and Ascent to Heaven

Devanagari script

ययातिरुवाच द्वाभ्यां कन्‍न्यासहस्राभ्यां द्वे कन्‍्ये परिवारिते । गोत्रे च नामनी चैव द्वयो: पृच्छाम्यहं शुभे

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | yayātir uvāca—dvābhyāṁ kanyāsahasrābhyāṁ dve kanye parivārite | gotre ca nāmanī caiva dvayoḥ pṛcchāmy ahaṁ śubhe |

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说：耶耶提王开口道：“吉祥的两位少女啊，你们二人有两千名处女侍伴随从。我问你们二人的氏族（gotra）与姓名。请道明你们的身份。”

Word by Word

• ययातिः: Yayati
• ययातिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ययाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Third, Singular

• द्वाभ्याम्: by/with two
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Dual

• कन्यासहस्राभ्याम्: with two thousand maidens (as attendants)
• कन्यासहस्राभ्याम्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Dual

• द्वे: two
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Dual

• कन्ये: maidens (two girls)
• कन्ये: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Dual

• परिवारिते: surrounded/attended
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + वृत् (धातु) → परिवारित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Dual

• गोत्रे: in (your) lineages / as to (your) gotras (both)
• गोत्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Dual

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

• नामनी: in (your) names / as to (your) names (both)
• नामनी: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Dual

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

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• द्वयोः: of you two
• Type: Pronoun/Adjective
• Root: द्वि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Dual

• पृच्छामि: I ask
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), First, Singular

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: —, Nominative, Singular

• शुभे: O auspicious ones (O fair maidens)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Vocative, Dual

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yayāti
• two maidens (kanye)
• two thousand maiden attendants (kanyā-sahasra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds social-ethical protocol: before forming relations or making decisions, one should ascertain identity and lineage (gotra and name), reflecting the Mahābhārata’s concern with order, responsibility, and proper conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, King Yayāti addresses two maidens who are surrounded by a large retinue of companions and asks them to state their gotra (clan lineage) and their names.