Shloka 21

Kṛṣṇasya Dvārakā-praveśaḥ — Krishna’s Return to Dvārakā and the Raivataka Festival

Devanagari script

शाखामासज्य तस्यैव कृष्णाजिनमरिंदम । पातयामास बिल्वानि तदा स द्विजपुज्गव:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | śākhām āsajya tasyaiva kṛṣṇājinam ariṃdama | pātayāmāsa bilvāni tadā sa dvijapuṅgavaḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说道：“噢，降伏仇敌者！那位最杰出的婆罗门把那张黑羚羊皮系在一根树枝上，随即开始击落毗罗婆果。”

Word by Word

• शाखाम्: a branch
• शाखाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाखा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• आसज्य: having fastened/tied
• Type: Verb
• Root: आसञ्ज्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• तस्य: of that (tree)
• तस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

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

• कृष्णाजिनम्: black antelope-skin
• कृष्णाजिनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णाजिन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अरिंदम: O foe-subduer
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अरिंदम
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• पातयामास: caused to fall / made fall
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (पातयति = causative)
• Form: लिट् (periphrastic perfect), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• बिल्वानि: bilva fruits
• बिल्वानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिल्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• द्विजपुङ्गवः: best of the twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विजपुङ्गवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजपुङ्गव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Uttaṅka (implied by context as the brahmarṣi)
• kṛṣṇājina (black antelope-skin)
• bilva tree
• bilva fruits

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even an ascetic may meet bodily needs like hunger, but should do so with restraint and without violating dharma—using available means simply and appropriately.

What is happening in the narrative?

The sage (Uttaṅka, in context) climbs a bilva tree, ties his black antelope-skin to a branch, and then knocks down bilva fruits to eat, as narrated by Vaiśampāyana.