Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 15
Devanagari script
प्रकाशितस्त्वं स्वगुणैर्यशोगर्भगभस्तिभि: । शशाड्ककरसंस्पर्शै्द्यैरात्मप्रकाशितै:
Transliteration
prakāśitastvaṁ svaguṇair yaśo-garbha-gabhastibhiḥ | śaśāṅka-kara-saṁsparśair yair ātma-prakāśitaiḥ ||
Translation
婆罗门说道：“你以自身德行而光耀——那是善名之光，自明自照，触之清凉柔和，如月华之辉。正是你的卓越使你熠熠生辉，使近你之人得安宁而心志振起。”
Word by Word
प्रकाशितःmade manifest; illumined
प्रकाशितः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootप्रकाशित (प्र+काश्)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
त्वम्you
त्वम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootयुष्मद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
स्वगुणैःby (your) own virtues
स्वगुणैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootस्वगुण
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Plural
यशोगर्भगभस्तिभिःby rays whose core is fame (i.e., fame-filled beams)
यशोगर्भगभस्तिभिः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootयशोगर्भगभस्ति
FormFeminine, Instrumental, Plural
शशाङ्ककरसंस्पर्शैःby touches like the moon’s rays
शशाङ्ककरसंस्पर्शैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootशशाङ्ककरसंस्पर्श
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Plural
यैःby which
यैः:
Karana
TypePronoun
Rootयद्
FormMasculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural
आत्मप्रकाशितैःself-luminous; self-illuminating
आत्मप्रकाशितैः:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootआत्मप्रकाशित
FormMasculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural
Speaker
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Characters & Entities
ब
ब्राह्मण (Brāhmaṇa, speaker)श
शशाङ्क/चन्द्रमा (the Moon)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
True radiance comes from inner virtue: good qualities generate ‘self-luminous’ renown that naturally comforts and benefits others, like the cool touch of moonlight.
A Brāhmaṇa addresses someone with respectful praise, using the metaphor of moonbeams to describe how the person’s virtues and good fame shine on their own and bring soothing influence to those around them.