Shloka 4
Strī-satkāra (On honoring women) — Mahābhārata 13.46
Devanagari script
देवशर्मोवाच यद् वै तन्मिथुन ब्रह्मन्नहोरात्र हि विद्धि तत् । चक्रवत् परिवर्तेत तत् ते जानाति दुष्कृतम्
Transliteration
devaśarmovāca—yad vai tan mithunaṁ brahman ahorātre hi viddhi tat | cakravat parivarteta tat te jānāti duṣkṛtam ||
Translation
提婆舍摩说道：“婆罗门啊，你所见的那一对，实为昼与夜。它们如轮回转，因此知晓你的过失。”
Word by Word
देवशर्माDevaśarman
देवशर्मा:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootदेवशर्मन्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
उवाचsaid
उवाच:
TypeVerb
Rootवच्
FormPerfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada
यत्which/that (thing)
यत्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootयद्
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
वैindeed
वै:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootवै
तत्that
तत्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
मिथुनम्pair, couple
मिथुनम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootमिथुन
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
ब्रह्मन्O brāhmaṇa / O Brahman
ब्रह्मन्:
TypeNoun
Rootब्रह्मन्
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
अहोरात्रम्day-and-night (a full day)
अहोरात्रम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootअहोरात्र
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
हिfor, indeed
हि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि
विद्धिknow (you), understand
विद्धि:
TypeVerb
Rootविद्
FormImperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada
तत्that (pair/day-night)
तत्:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
चक्रवत्like a wheel
चक्रवत्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootचक्रवत्
परिवर्तेतwould revolve, keeps turning
परिवर्तेत:
TypeVerb
Rootपरि-वृत्
FormOptative, Third, Singular, Atmanepada
तत्that (fact/they)
तत्:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
तेof you, your
ते:
TypePronoun
Rootत्वद्
FormGenitive, Singular
जानातिknows
जानाति:
TypeVerb
Rootज्ञा
FormPresent, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada
दुष्कृतम्evil deed, sin
दुष्कृतम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootदुष्कृत
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
Speaker
विपुल उवाच
Characters & Entities
D
DevaśarmanB
Brahmin (addressed interlocutor)D
Day (Ahaḥ)N
Night (Rātri)W
Wheel (Cakra) (as simile)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
Time itself—day and night, ever revolving—stands as a constant witness to human conduct; wrongdoing cannot be hidden, because the world’s recurring order observes and reveals it.
Devaśarman interprets a vision/sign seen by the addressed Brahmin: the male–female pair is explained as Day and Night, whose ceaseless turning ‘like a wheel’ makes them know the person’s misdeed.