Shloka 3

रसातल-वर्णनम्

Rasātala Description: Surabhi, Phenapāḥ, and the Directional Cows

Devanagari script

सुरुचा पक्षिराजेन सुबलेन च मातले । वर्धितानि प्रसृत्या वै विनताकुलकर्तृभि:,देवसारथि मातले! यहाँ विनतानन्दन गरुड़के छ: पुत्रोंने अपनी वंशपरम्पराका विस्तार किया है, जिनके नाम इस प्रकार हैं--सुमुख, सुनामा, सुनेत्र, सुवर्चा, सुरुच तथा पक्षिराज सुबल। विनताके वंशकी वृद्धि करनेवाले, कश्यपकुलमें उत्पन्न हुए तथा ऐश्वर्यका विस्तार करनेवाले इन छहों पश्षियोंने गरुड़-जातिकी सैकड़ों और सहस्रों शाखाओंका विस्तार किया है

Transliteration

surucā pakṣirājena subalena ca mātale | vardhitāni prasṛtyā vai vinatākulakartṛbhiḥ ||

Translation

那罗陀说道：“噢，玛多梨！毗那底之族系确已因其后裔的繁衍而延展昌盛——苏鲁恰与鸟中王苏婆罗。此等毗那底一脉的开枝之祖，生于迦叶波族中，又增长自身的王者威势，使迦楼罗之种分衍为数百数千支派。”

Word by Word

सुरुचाby (one named) Surucā

पक्षिराजेनby the king of birds

सुबलेनby (one named) Subala

चand

मातलेO Mātali

वर्धितानिwere increased/expanded

प्रसृत्याby spreading/extension

वैindeed

विनताकुलकर्तृभिःby the makers/increasers of Vinatā's lineage

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Mātali

Vinatā

Kaśyapa

Garuḍa

Surucā

Subala (Pakṣirāja)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the importance of lineage and continuity: beings uphold and expand their kula (family line) through responsible propagation, and such growth is portrayed as part of the wider cosmic and social order associated with venerable ancestral lines like that of Kaśyapa.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is informing Mātali about the expansion of Vinatā’s descendants—specifically naming bird-progenitors (including Surucā and the bird-king Subala) through whom the Garuḍa lineage has proliferated into many branches.