Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्‌ तस्य वचन श्रुत्वा रूपिणी धर्मवत्सला । दर्शयामास तं विप्रं नागपत्नी पतिव्रता,उसकी वह बात सुनकर धर्मके प्रति अनुराग रखनेवाली नागराजकी परम सुन्दरी पतिव्रता पत्नीने उस ब्राह्मणको दर्शन दिया

Transliteration

tat tasya vacanaṁ śrutvā rūpiṇī dharmavatsalā | darśayāmāsa taṁ vipraṁ nāgapatnī pativratā ||

Translation

她听见那番话后，那位容貌姝丽、笃信法（dharma）、为蛇王守贞尽节的妻子（pativratā）便现身而出，赐那婆罗门得以觐见。

Word by Word

तत्that (speech/statement)

तस्यof him

वचनम्speech, words

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

रूपिणीbeautiful, possessing form

धर्मवत्सलाfond of dharma, devoted to righteousness

दर्शयामासshowed, caused to see; appeared to

तम्him

विप्रम्the brahmin

नागपत्नीthe naga-king's wife

पतिव्रताdevoted to her husband

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

vipra (brāhmaṇa)

nāgapatnī (wife of the serpent-lord)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is upheld not only through ritual or power but through inner virtue—here, devotion to righteousness (dharmavatsalā) and steadfast marital fidelity (pativratā) are shown as ethically potent qualities that shape outcomes and command respect.

What is happening in the narrative?

A brāhmaṇa speaks; upon hearing his words, the serpent-lord’s wife—described as beautiful, dharma-loving, and devoted to her husband—makes herself visible and grants him an audience (darśana), indicating a turning point where a hidden or guarded figure responds to a righteous appeal.