Shloka 3

Strī-satkāra (On honoring women) — Mahābhārata 13.46

Devanagari script

विपुल उवाच ब्रह्मर्षे मिथुनं कि तत्‌ के च ते पुरुषा विभो । ये मां जानन्ति तत्त्वेन यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि

Transliteration

vipula uvāca brahmarṣe mithunaṁ ki tat ke ca te puruṣā vibho | ye māṁ jānanti tattvena yan māṁ tvaṁ paripṛcchasi ||

Translation

毗补罗说道：“婆罗门仙啊，我所见的那一对男女是谁？又那六个男子是谁，强者啊——他们真正认识我，而你也在问我他们的来历？”

Word by Word

• विपुलः: Vipula
• विपुलः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विपुल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular

• ब्रह्मर्षे: O brahmarṣi
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मर्षि
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• मिथुनम्: pair, couple
• मिथुनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मिथुन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• किम्: what?
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• तत्: that
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• के: who? (plural)
• के: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• ते: those
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पुरुषाः: men, persons
• पुरुषाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• विभो: O mighty one / O lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• ये: who (relative)
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Accusative, Singular

• जानन्ति: know
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: Present, 3rd, Plural

• तत्त्वेन: in truth, truly
• तत्त्वेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्त्व
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• यत्: which/that (thing)
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Accusative, Singular

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Nominative, Singular

• परिपृच्छसि: ask (about), inquire
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-प्रच्छ्
• Form: Present, 2nd, Singular

Speaker

विपुल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vipula
• Brahmarṣi (addressed sage)
• a male-female couple (mithuna)
• six men (ṣaṭ puruṣāḥ, implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds truthful inquiry (tattvena jñāna): ethical understanding begins with precise questioning about what one has seen and about the identities and roles of those involved.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vipula responds to a sage’s questioning by asking for clarification: he wants to know who the couple he saw were and who the six men were—figures said to know him truly—since the sage is also inquiring about them.