Shloka 93

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

Sanskrit

यदुपात्तं यशः पित्रा धनं वीर्यमथापि वा ।

तन्न हापयते यस्तु स नरो मध्यमः स्मृतः ॥

Transliteration

yadupāttaṃ yaśaḥ pitrā dhanaṃ vīryamathāpi vā / tanna hāpayate yastu sa naro madhyamaḥ smṛtaḥ

Translation

凡不使从父亲所得之物有所减损者——无论是名声、财富，乃至勇武——皆被视为中等之人。

Word by Word

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun, Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; correlates with तत्

• उपात्तम्: acquired
• उपात्तम्: Karma (कर्म/Patient)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: Past Passive Participle (कृत्—क्त), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; 'acquired/obtained'

• यशः: fame
• यशः: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यशस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular

• पित्रा: by the father
• पित्रा: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• धनम्: wealth
• धनम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• वीर्यम्: valor/power
• वीर्यम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• अथ: and/then
• अथ: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle/conjunction (निपात)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात)

• वा: or
• वा: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: Disjunctive particle (विकल्पार्थक-निपात)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Demonstrative pronoun, Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; correlative to यत्

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-निपात)

• हापयते: causes to be lost / lets diminish
• हापयते: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा (धातु) [णिच् causative: हापयति]
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; causative sense 'causes to be lost'

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), contrast/emphasis

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Demonstrative pronoun, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• नरः: man
• नरः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• मध्यमः: middling/average
• मध्यमः: Predicate (विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate adjective to नरः

• स्मृतः: is regarded
• स्मृतः: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: Past Passive Participle (कृत्—क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Singular; 'is considered/remembered'

Speakers

• King (didactic voice within his speech) or narrator presenting a maxim (immediate context: father’s instruction/praise)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Ethics of inheritance
• Merit classifications
• Family dharma
• Stewardship

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Mere preservation is not the pinnacle of virtue: maintaining inherited advantages is respectable, but dharma calls for growth in excellence—ethical life is measured by contribution, not only conservation.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Dharma-upadeśa embedded in vaṃśānucarita: a normative teaching attached to lineage narrative, illustrating how Purāṇas encode social ethics through royal exemplars.

What is the esoteric significance?

Inherited ‘wealth/valor/fame’ can be read as innate capacities and prior saṃskāras; not diminishing them means at least avoiding regression—yet the path implicitly urges transformation beyond baseline maintenance.