Shloka 18

Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 90 — Pūror Vaṃśa, Kuru-Pravara, and the Janamejaya Line

Genealogical Recitation

Devanagari script

स देवदेवस्य निवेशने च विहृत्य लोकानवसं यथेष्टम्‌ । सम्पूज्यमानस्त्रिदशै: समस्तै- स्तुल्यप्रभावद्युतिरी श्वराणाम्‌,वह देवाधिदेव ब्रह्माजीका धाम था। वहाँ मैं अपनी इच्छाके अनुसार भिन्न-भिन्न लोकोंमें विहार करता हुआ सम्पूर्ण देवताओंसे सम्मानित होकर रहा। उस समय मेरा प्रभाव और तेज देवेश्वरोंके समान था

Transliteration

sa devadevasya niveśane ca vihṛtya lokān avasaṁ yatheṣṭam | sampūjyamānas tridaśaiḥ samastais tulya-prabhāva-dyutir īśvarāṇām ||

Translation

وكان ذلك مقامَ إلهِ الآلهة، براهما. فبعد أن تنعّمتُ في مسكنه، أقمتُ كما أشاء، أطوف في عوالم شتّى؛ وكنتُ مُكرَّمًا من جميع الآلهة، آلهةِ الثلاثة والثلاثين، وكانت هيبتي وضيائي على مثال هيبة السادة الإلهيين وضيائهم.

Word by Word

• {'saḥ': 'he (I, in context)', 'devadevasya': 'of the God of gods (supreme deity)', 'niveśane': 'in the dwelling, abode', 'ca': 'and', 'vihṛtya': 'having sported/played, having enjoyed oneself', 'lokān': 'worlds, realms', 'avasaṁ': 'I dwelt, I lived', 'yatheṣṭam': 'as desired, at will', 'sampūjyamānaḥ': 'being fully honoured, being worshipped/respected', 'tridaśaiḥ': 'by the thirty (gods)

• i.e., the principal gods', 'samastaiḥ': 'by all, entirely', 'tulya': 'equal', 'prabhāva': 'power, influence, majesty', 'dyutiḥ': 'splendour, radiance', 'īśvarāṇām': 'of the lords, of the divine rulers'}

Speaker

अष्टक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Aṣṭaka
• Devadeva (God of gods)
• Tridaśa (the Thirty-three gods)
• Niveśana (divine abode)
• Lokāḥ (worlds/realms)
• Īśvarāḥ (divine lords)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the exalted results of accumulated merit: one may attain access to divine realms and receive honor from the gods, gaining power and radiance comparable to celestial lords. Implicitly, such glory is a consequence of dharma and karma rather than permanent self-sufficiency.

What is happening in the narrative?

Aṣṭaka recounts his experience of dwelling in the divine abode and freely roaming different worlds, where he is honored by all the gods and enjoys a status and brilliance like that of the divine rulers.