संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
मेनका उवाच सः भगवान् महातेजाः महातपाः कोपनः च इति भगवान् अपि जानातिmenakā uvāca saḥ bhagavān mahātejāḥ mahātapāḥ kopanaḥ ca iti bhagavān api jānātiMenaka said: that lord is greatly effulgent, of great austerity, and wrathful; this the lord [Indra] himself also knows
यस्य महात्मनः तेजसः तपसः कोपस्य त्वं अपि उद्विजसे अहं कथं न उद्विजेयम्yasya mahātmanaḥ tejasaḥ tapasaḥ kopasya tvaṃ api udvijase ahaṃ kathaṃ na udvijeyambefore the splendor, austerity, and wrath of that great-souled one, before whom even you tremble — how should I not tremble?
यः महाभागं वसिष्ठं इष्टैः पुत्रैः व्ययोजयत् यः क्षत्रे जातः बलात् ब्राह्मणः अभवत्yaḥ mahābhāgaṃ vasiṣṭhaṃ iṣṭaiḥ putraiḥ vyayojayat yaḥ kṣatre jātaḥ balāt brāhmaṇaḥ abhavat[he] who parted the blessed Vasishtha from his beloved sons; who, born among kshatriyas, by force [of austerity] became a brahmin
यः शौचार्थं बहुभिः जलैः दुर्गमां नदीं चक्रे यां लोके पुण्यतमां कौशिकी इति जनाः विदुःyaḥ śaucārthaṃ bahubhiḥ jalaiḥ durgamāṃ nadīṃ cakre yāṃ loke puṇyatamāṃ kauśikī iti janāḥ viduḥ[he] who, for the sake of his own purification, made a mighty, difficult river, which in the world people know as the most sacred Kaushiki
यत्र दुर्गे काले मतङ्गः धर्मात्मा राजर्षिः व्याधतां गतः अस्य दारान् बभारyatra durge kāle mataṅgaḥ dharmātmā rājarṣiḥ vyādhatāṃ gataḥ asya dārān babhāra[he] whose wives, in the hard time [of famine], were fed by the righteous royal sage Matanga, who [then] became a hunter
अतीतकाले दुर्भिक्षे पुनः आश्रमं एत्य प्रभुः मुनिः तस्याः नद्याः पारा इति नाम चक्रेatītakāle durbhikṣe punaḥ āśramaṃ etya prabhuḥ muniḥ tasyāḥ nadyāḥ pārā iti nāma cakrewhen the time of famine had passed, having returned again to the hermitage, the lord sage gave that river the name "Para" (the deliveress)
यत्र प्रीतमनाः स्वयं मतङ्गं याजयां चक्रे यस्य भयात् त्वं च सोमं पातुं गतः शुरेश्वरyatra prītamanāḥ svayaṃ mataṅgaṃ yājayāṃ cakre yasya bhayāt tvaṃ ca somaṃ pātuṃ gataḥ śureśvara[he] who, with a gladdened heart, himself performed the sacrifice for Matanga, from fear of whom you too, O lord of gods, went to drink soma
यः क्रुद्धः नक्षत्रवंशान् अति नक्षत्रसंपदा श्रवणपूर्वाणि प्रति नक्षत्राणि ससर्जyaḥ kruddhaḥ nakṣatravaṃśān ati nakṣatrasaṃpadā śravaṇapūrvāṇi prati nakṣatrāṇi sasarja[he] who, in wrath, surpassing the [former] order of constellations, with a [new] abundance of stars created other constellations beginning with Shravana
एतानि यस्य कर्माणि तस्य अहं भृशं उद्विजे यथा क्रुद्धः मां न दहेत् तथा मां आज्ञापय विभोetāni yasya karmāṇi tasya ahaṃ bhṛśaṃ udvije yathā kruddhaḥ māṃ na dahet tathā māṃ ājñāpaya vibhosuch are his deeds; before him I tremble greatly; command me, O lord, so that in his wrath he may not burn me
मेनकोवाचmenakovācaoriginal form "menakovāca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सदैवsadaivaoriginal form "sadaiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कोपनश्kopanaśoriginal form "kopanaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ह्य्hyoriginal form "hy", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एनंenaṃoriginal form "enaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तेजसस्tejasasoriginal form "tejasas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तपसश्tapasaśoriginal form "tapasaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivaoriginal form "caiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चcaoriginal form "ca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्वम्tvamoriginal form "tvam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अप्य्apyoriginal form "apy", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नोद्विजेयम्nodvijeyamoriginal form "nodvijeyam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कथम्kathamoriginal form "katham", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पुत्रैर्putrairoriginal form "putrair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इष्टैर्iṣṭairoriginal form "iṣṭair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
जातश्jātaśoriginal form "jātaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चcaoriginal form "ca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पूर्वम्pūrvamoriginal form "pūrvam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अभवद्abhavadoriginal form "abhavad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ब्राह्मणोbrāhmaṇooriginal form "brāhmaṇo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
योyooriginal form "yo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
बहुभिर्bahubhiroriginal form "bahubhir", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तांtāṃoriginal form "tāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कौशिकीतिkauśikītioriginal form "kauśikīti", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विदुर्viduroriginal form "vidur", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यत्रास्यyatrāsyaoriginal form "yatrāsya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पुराpurāoriginal form "purā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महात्मनःmahātmanaḥoriginal form "mahātmanaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मतङ्गोmataṅgooriginal form "mataṅgo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
राजर्षिर्rājarṣiroriginal form "rājarṣir", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यत्रैत्यyatraityaoriginal form "yatraitya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पुनर्punaroriginal form "punar", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आश्रमम्āśramamoriginal form "āśramam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पारेतिpāretioriginal form "pāreti", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नद्याnadyāoriginal form "nadyā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वैvaioriginal form "vai", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तदाtadāoriginal form "tadā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
स्वयम्svayamoriginal form "svayam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चcaoriginal form "ca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भयाद्bhayādoriginal form "bhayād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नक्षत्रवंशांश्nakṣatravaṃśāṃśoriginal form "nakṣatravaṃśāṃś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चcaoriginal form "ca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
क्रुद्धोkruddhooriginal form "kruddho", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तस्याहंtasyāhaṃoriginal form "tasyāhaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भृशम्bhṛśamoriginal form "bhṛśam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
क्रुद्धस्kruddhasoriginal form "kruddhas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तथाज्ञापयtathājñāpayaoriginal form "tathājñāpaya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here Menaka enumerates the fearsome deeds of Vishvamitra, and his figure grows to the measure of a titan of spirit. Most significant among them is that Vishvamitra, "born a kshatriya, by the power of austerity became a brahmin": tradition honors in him the supreme example that brahminhood is not by birth alone, but attainable through austerity and righteousness. Here is confirmation that true worth (brahminhood) is determined by the qualities and aspiration of the soul, not by origin alone. Significant too is the creation of the river Kaushiki, and even of new constellations — an image of the boundless power of tapas, capable of reordering the very cosmos. But Menaka rightly fears his wrath as well: great power, not fully mastered, is dangerous. Thus scripture reveals the twofold nature of Vishvamitra — the greatest of ascetics, yet subject to wrath — and thereby justifies the apsara's fear. This portrait of the fearsome sage is needed in order to show how wondrous was his fall before Menaka's beauty — and how marvelous the child (Shakuntala) born of the union of such power and such beauty.