Shloka 18

यमसभावर्णनम् (Yamasabhā-varṇanam) — Nārada’s Description of Dharmarāja’s Assembly

Devanagari script

राजा दशरथश्चैव ककुत्स्थो5थ प्रवर्धन: । अलर्क: कक्षसेनश्न गयो गौराश्वच एवच

Transliteration

rājā daśarathaś caiva kakutstho ’tha pravardhanaḥ | alarkaḥ kakṣasenaś ca gayo gaurāśvaś caiva ca ||

Translation

قال نارادا: «الملك دَشَرَثَ، وكذلك كاكوتسثا، ثم برافَردَهَنا؛ وألَرْكَة، وكَكْشَسِينَا، وغَيَا، وكذلك غَوْرَاشْوَا أيضًا».

Word by Word

राजाking

दशरथःDaśaratha

चand

एवindeed/also

ककुत्स्थःKakutstha (name/epithet of a king of the Ikṣvāku line)

अथthen/and next

प्रवर्धनःPravardhana (name of a king)

अलर्कःAlarka (name of a king)

कक्षसेनःKakṣasena (name; lit. 'having an army in the flank/side')

चand

गयःGaya (name of a king)

गौराश्वःGaurāśva (name; lit. 'having pale/white horses')

चand

एवalso/indeed

चand

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Daśaratha

Kakutstha

Pravardhana

Alarka

Kakṣasena

Gaya

Gaurāśva

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse reinforces the Mahābhārata’s ethical emphasis on righteous kingship: remembering celebrated rulers functions as a moral archive, implying that a king’s lasting renown depends on sustaining dharma and good governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is speaking and continues a sequential enumeration of notable kings, adding several names to the ongoing catalog within the Sabha Parva context.