Shloka 3

Pātra-Lakṣaṇa and Niścita-Dharma

Marks of a Worthy Recipient and Stable Criteria of Dharma

Devanagari script

रूयुवाच द्यावापृथिव्योर्यत्रैषा काम्या ब्राह्मणसत्तम | शृणुष्वावहितः सर्व यदिदं सत्यविक्रम

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | dyāvāpṛthivyor yatraiṣā kāmyā brāhmaṇasattama | śṛṇuṣvāvahitaḥ sarvaṃ yad idaṃ satyavikrama ||

Translation

那女子说道：“婆罗门中最殊胜者啊！无论在天界还是在人间——凡有男女居住之处——彼此求合的渴望恒常不息。真诚而勇毅者啊，请专心聆听：我将说明这番变形戏作之所以发生的缘由。”

Word by Word

• रुयु: Ruyu (proper name, the speaker)
• रुयु: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुयु
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• द्यावा: of the two heavens (sky)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्याव्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Dual

• पृथिव्योः: of the two earths (earth)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Dual

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र

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

• काम्या: desirable, wished-for
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम्य
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• ब्राह्मण-सत्तम: O best of Brahmins
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मणसत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• शृणुष्व: listen
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Imperative, 2nd, Singular, Atmanepada

• अवहितः: attentive, composed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अवहित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वम्: all (of it)
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• यत्: which, what
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सत्य-विक्रम: O true-in-valour / O of steadfast prowess
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्यविक्रम
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Brahmin (addressed as brāhmaṇasattama)
• Heaven (Dyauḥ / Svarga)
• Earth (Pṛthivī / Martya-loka)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames kāma (desire for union) as a pervasive human condition across realms, and it prepares an ethical explanation: extraordinary events (like transformations) are to be understood through their underlying causes rather than mere spectacle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma addresses a Brahmin and asks him to listen attentively, introducing an account that will explain why a sequence of ‘transformations’ or changes of form occurred, grounding the story in motive and causation.