Shloka 54

Adhyaya 21 — Kuvalayashva’s Descent to Patala and the Rescue of Madalasa

Sanskrit

पुत्रावूचतुः ततः प्रहृष्टा सा कन्या सखीवदनमुत्तमम् ।

लज्जाजडं वीक्षमाणा किञ्चिन्नोवाच भामिनी ॥

Transliteration

putrāvūcatuḥ tataḥ prahṛṣṭā sā kanyā sakhīvadanamuttamam / lajjājaḍaṃ vīkṣamāṇā kiñcinnovāca bhāminī

Translation

于是两位少女开口说道：那位少女心生欢喜，凝望友人那殊胜的面容；因羞怯而身形僵住，那美丽的女子竟一句话也未说。

Word by Word

• putrau: the two sons
• putrau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुं), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Dual (द्विवचन)

• ūcatuḥ: said
• ūcatuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Dual (द्विवचन)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रम/अनन्तर-अर्थे) ‘then/thereupon’

• prahṛṣṭā: delighted
• prahṛṣṭā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + √hṛṣ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past participle used adjectivally (क्त-कृदन्त), Feminine (स्त्री), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘delighted’

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Demonstrative pronoun, Feminine (स्त्री), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘she’

• kanyā: the maiden
• kanyā: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्री), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• sakhī-vadanam: (her) friend’s face
• sakhī-vadanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sakhī + vadana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसक), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘(her) friend’s face’

• uttamam: excellent/beautiful
• uttamam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसक), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; qualifies vadanam

• lajjā-jaḍam: shy-awkward (state)
• lajjā-jaḍam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lajjā + jaḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसक), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; karmadhāraya ‘shy and stiff/awkward’ (as a state/gesture)

• vīkṣamāṇā: looking
• vīkṣamāṇā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + √īkṣ (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ-कृदन्त), Feminine (स्त्री), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘looking’

• kiñcit: anything
• kiñcit: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kiñcit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Indefinite pronoun, Neuter (नपुंसक), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; ‘anything’

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-अव्यय)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhāminī: the lady
• bhāminī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāminī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्री), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘lady/beautiful woman’

Speakers

• Narrator voice (describing the maiden and her friend); dialogue setup for the friend’s response

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shringara", "secondaryRasa": "hasya", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Lajjā (modesty)
• Social psychology in dialogue
• Intermediary friend as spokesperson

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse normalizes modest restraint and indicates the role of trusted companions in communication—speech arises where safety and familiarity exist.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Ākhyāna (narrative description).

What is the esoteric significance?

Shyness (lajjā) can signify the threshold between inner feeling and outward expression; the friend’s forthcoming speech represents the mediating faculty that translates emotion into articulate response.