Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

मयैषा तपसा प्राप्ता क्रोशतस्ते जलाधिप । इत्युक्त्वा तामुपादाय स्वमेव भवनं ययौ

Transliteration

mayaiṣā tapasā prāptā krośatas te jalādhipa | ity uktvā tām upādāya svam eva bhavanaṃ yayau ||

Translation

阿周那说道：“水之主宰啊，纵使你呼号不已，我亦凭苦行之力得此妻。”言毕，他携婆陀罗同归，返回自己的居所。

Word by Word

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Instrumental, Singular

• एषा: this (woman)
• एषा: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तपसा: by austerity
• तपसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• प्राप्ता: obtained
• प्राप्ता: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• क्रोशतः: even while (you were) crying/shouting
• क्रोशतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रोशतः

• ते: of you/your
• ते: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• जलाधिप: O lord of waters
• जलाधिप: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलाधिप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• इति: thus
• इति: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund)

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• उपादाय: having taken (along)
• उपादाय: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-आ-दा
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund)

• स्वम्: one's own
• स्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• भवनम्: house, abode
• भवनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ययौ: went
• ययौ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: या
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Singular

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Jalādhipa (lord of the waters)
• Bhadrā (wife, as per the prose gloss)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights tapas (disciplined austerity) as a potent moral-spiritual force that can secure desired ends; it also raises an ethical tension between personal attainment through ascetic power and the objections of a divine guardian (the lord of waters).

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna addresses the lord of the waters, declaring that despite the deity’s cries of protest he has obtained a wife through his tapas; he then takes the woman with him and returns to his own home.