Shloka 7

धृतराष्ट्रस्य शोकविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry to Sañjaya

Devanagari script

उनके यूपमें सुवर्णमय >चषाल और प्रचषाल लगे हुए थे। उनके यहाँ तेरह हजार अप्सराएँ नृत्य करती थीं ।। यत्र वीणां वादयति प्रीत्या विश्वावसु: स्वयम्‌ । सर्वभूतान्यमन्यन्त राजानं सत्यशीलिनम्‌,उस समय वहाँ साक्षात्‌ गन्धर्वराज विश्वावसु प्रेमपूर्वक वीणा बजाते थे। समस्त प्राणी राजा दिलीपको सत्यवादी मानते थे

Transliteration

yūpeṣu suvarṇamayaś caṣālāḥ pracaṣālāś ca saṃniviṣṭāḥ | tatra trayodaśa-sahasrāṇy apsarasaḥ nṛtyanti || yatra vīṇāṃ vādayati prītyā viśvāvasuḥ svayam | sarvabhūtāny amanyanta rājānaṃ satyaśīlinam ||

Translation

كانت أعمدة قربانه مزوّدةً بـ caṣāla وpracaṣāla من ذهب. وفي ذلك المقام الملكي كانت ثلاث عشرة ألفًا من الأبسارات يرقصن. وهناك كان ملك الغندرفا، فيشڤافاسو (Viśvāvasu) نفسه، بدافع المودّة، يعزف على الـ vīṇā؛ وكانت الكائنات جميعًا ترى الملك ثابتًا على الصدق—مثالًا للقول الحقّ وللملك العادل على نهج الدharma.

Word by Word

• {'yūpa': 'sacrificial post (used in Vedic rites)', 'suvarṇamaya': 'made of gold, golden', 'caṣālā': 'cap/finial fixed atop a sacrificial post', 'pracaṣālā': 'additional cap/ornamental fitting on the post (an accessory/extension of the caṣālā)', 'apsaras': 'celestial nymph

• divine dancer', 'trayodaśa-sahasra': 'thirteen thousand', 'nṛtyanti': 'they dance', 'yatra': 'where', 'vīṇā': 'lute

• stringed instrument', 'vādayati': 'plays (an instrument)', 'prītyā': 'with affection, gladly', 'viśvāvasu': 'Viśvāvasu, a Gandharva (often styled as Gandharva-king)', 'svayam': 'himself', 'sarvabhūta': 'all beings/creatures', 'amanyanta': 'they considered, they thought', 'rājan': 'king', 'satyaśīlin': 'one whose conduct is grounded in truth

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Viśvāvasu
• Gandharva-king (Viśvāvasu)
• Apsarases
• King Dilīpa
• yūpa (sacrificial posts)
• caṣālā/pracaṣālā (golden post-caps/ornaments)
• vīṇā

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse elevates satya (truth) as a defining royal virtue: a king’s ethical credibility—being satyaśīlin—wins universal trust and is portrayed as attracting auspiciousness, prosperity, and even divine celebration.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada describes a splendid, merit-filled royal-sacrificial setting: golden-adorned yūpas, vast celestial dance, and Viśvāvasu’s music—framing King Dilīpa’s reign as righteous and honored by all beings.