वीरवनिता विश्पलाClass 9 Sanskrit Anand Chapter 5 Notes – Maharashtra Board

Summary: वीरवनिता विश्पला

King खेलराजः and his wife विश्पला live happily. She is both very learned and skilled in battle; he is brave too.

Enemies attack the kingdom. The king leads the army, and Vishpala also enters the battlefield, destroying enemies like the goddess चामुण्डेश्वरी come down to earth. Fearing that they cannot win while she fights, the enemy soldiers surround her all at once.

Alone against countless soldiers, she fights with double energy, but they cut off one of her legs and return to camp, thinking she is finished.

Determined to fight the next day, she sits still and meditates on the अश्विनीकुमारौ. Pleased by her devotion, they fit an iron leg so she can walk and fight as before.

Next morning the very sight of her shakes the enemy's courage; she cuts them down like banana trees, more than a thousand fall, and खेलराजः wins. The Vedas praise her courage, and the story also reminds us of the ancient surgical skill of the Ashvins.

Key points to remember

• Source: ऋग्वेद 1.116.15 — one of the oldest stories of an artificial limb
• खेलराजः = king; विश्पला = his queen, महाविदुषी and रणकुशला
• अश्विनीकुमारौ = twin divine physicians, experts in surgery (शल्यक्रियाविशारदौ)
• She is compared to चामुण्डेश्वरी; she cuts enemies like कदलीवृक्षान् (banana trees)
• Her leg is cut; the Ashvins fix a लोहयुक्तः पादः (iron leg)
• Values: courage, determination, faith; women's strength (स्त्रीणां सामर्थ्यम्)
• क्तवतु forms: masculine -वान् / -वन्तः, feminine -वती, dual -वन्तौ
• Visarga changes to र्, स्, श्, ओ or disappears
• Some verbs need a fixed case: रुच्, स्पृह्, क्रुध्, कुप् → चतुर्थी; रक्ष्, वि+रम् → पञ्चमी; स्निह् → सप्तमी

वीरवनिता विश्पला – Notes

1. The battle and the wound

• When enemies (शत्रवः) attack, खेलराजः, the commander, enters the battlefield (रणरङ्गं प्रविष्टवान्) and Vishpala follows (प्रविष्टवती).
• Her valour (शौर्यम्, पराक्रमः) amazes even the enemy. They decide she must be stopped and attack together (युगपत् आक्रम्य), surrounding her (अवरुद्धवन्तः).
• Though alone (एकाकिनी), she has not even a trace of fear (भीतिलेशः); she fights with doubled enthusiasm.
• The enemy cut one leg (एकं पादं कर्तितवन्तः) and go back to camp, sure she will trouble them no more.

2. Healing by the अश्विनीकुमारौ and victory

• She is not discouraged (हतोत्साहा न जाता) — she is a चैतन्यमूर्तिः (a figure full of life). Resolving 'I must fight tomorrow', she wishes to get her leg back.
• She sits motionless (निश्चलतया उपविश्य) and meditates on the twin physicians. Because of her devotion they join an iron leg and make her as before.
• Next day she arrives early with great zeal. On seeing her, the enemy is astonished and afraid; their patience is lost at her mere sight.
• She cuts them down as easily as banana trees (लीलया); over a thousand soldiers are killed, and the victory goes to खेलराजः.

3. Grammar: क्तवतु and words of the lesson

• The story uses -तवत् forms as past verbs: शत्रवः आक्रमणं कृतवन्तः; खेलराजः प्रविष्टवान्; विश्पला प्रविष्टवती; अश्विनीकुमारौ कृतवन्तौ (dual).
• Feminine forms: कृतवती, आगतवती, आरब्धवती, कर्तितवती, प्राप्तवती, संहृतवती.
• Indeclinables: त्वान्त — दृष्ट्वा, चिन्तयित्वा, कृत्वा, योजयित्वा; ल्यबन्त — आक्रम्य, निश्चित्य, उपविश्य, प्रविश्य; तुमन्त — प्राप्तुम्, चलितुम्, कर्तुम्.
• Adjective–noun: लोहयुक्तः पादः, वीराङ्गना विश्पला, भीताः शत्रुसैनिकाः, महत् युद्धम्, शूरः खेलराजः.

4. पठत अवगच्छत: the world of the visarga

• र् form: अम्भोधिः + जलधिः = अम्भोधिर्जलधिः; प्राणैः + अपि = प्राणैरपि; धनैः + अपि = धनैरपि.
• ओ form (अः before a soft consonant): मनः + मधुपः = मनो मधुपः; दरिद्रः + यस्य = दरिद्रो यस्य; कः + दरिद्रः = को दरिद्रः; भेदः → भेदो.
• Dropped (लोपी): आः before a soft letter — उत्तमाः + मध्यमाः = उत्तमा मध्यमा; मकाराः + दश = मकारा दश.
• श् and स् forms: हंसः + श्वेतः = हंसश्श्वेतः; बकः + श्वेतः = बकश्श्वेतः; विष्णुः + त्वम् = विष्णुस्त्वम्; सूर्यः + त्वम् = सूर्यस्त्वम्; चन्द्रमाः + त्वम् = चन्द्रमास्त्वम्.
• Fun lines: the 'ten fickle म-words' (मनः, मधुपः, मेघः, मद्यपः, मर्कटः, मरुत्, मक्षिका, मत्कुणः, मत्स्यः …), and 'a swan is white, a crane is white — the difference shows only when milk and water are separated'.

5. रम्यसंस्कृतम्: उपपदविभक्तयः (धातवः)

• Some verbs decide the case of the word with them. गम् takes द्वितीया: पाण्डवाः हस्तिनापुरम् अगच्छन्.
• चतुर्थी with कुप्, क्रुध् (be angry with), दा / यच्छ् (give to), कथ् (tell to), रुच् (be pleasing to), स्पृह् (long for): माता शिशवे न कुप्येत्; शिष्याः गुरवे दक्षिणां यच्छन्तु; गणेशाय मोदकाः रोचन्ते; गौरी कुण्डलाय स्पृहयति.
• पञ्चमी with रक्ष् (protect from) and वि + रम् (stop from): कृष्णः सङ्कटात् गोपालान् रक्षति; त्वं वृथाकलहात् विरम.
• सप्तमी with स्निह् (love): वयं भ्रातृषु स्निह्येम. Note with रुच्: the thing liked is the subject, the person who likes is in the dative — निखिलाय लड्डुकाः रोचन्ते.

Who did what? (मौखिककार्यम्)

Key terms

वीरवनिता विश्पला – Flashcards

Read the question, answer it in your head, then tap the card to check. 20 cards.

वीरवनिता विश्पला – MCQ Quiz

15 questions. Tap an option — you will see at once if it is right and why.

How to study वीरवनिता विश्पला

⏱ About 40 minutes

1. Read the story (10 min)
   Read it in four parts (attack, wound, healing, victory) and tell each part in one English sentence.
2. Grammar (15 min)
   List every क्तवतु form in the story with its doer; then learn the four visarga changes with one example each.
3. Practice (15 min)
   Write the 'Try it yourself' answers, take the quiz, revise flashcards and play 🎮 Play.