Shloka 19
Adhyāya 223: Nāradasya Guṇa-kathana
Catalogue of Nārada’s Virtues
यत् ते सहस्रसमिता ननुृतुर्देवयोषित:
śakra uvāca | yat te sahasra-samitā nanṛtur deva-yoṣitaḥ, katham adya tadā caiva manas te dānaveśvara |
قال شَكْرَا: «يا سيّد الدَّانَفَة! حين كانت آلافُ النساءِ السماويات يرقصن أمامك في مجامع عظيمة، كيف كانت حالُ قلبك آنذاك—وكيف هي الآن؟ لقد قضيتَ سنينَ طوالًا في نعيم الحظّ الملكي واللذّة؛ وفي تلك الأيام، وقد أحاطت بك الأبسارات المتلألئات كأنهنّ ذهب، متزيّنات بأكاليل اللوتس، ماذا كنتَ تُحِسّ في باطنك، وماذا تُحِسّ في الحاضر؟»
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse probes the contrast between outward prosperity and the inner condition of the mind, highlighting an ethical reflection central to Śānti Parva: pleasure, power, and sensory delight are unstable, so one should examine whether the mind was truly satisfied then and what has changed now—pointing toward detachment and self-knowledge.
Indra (Śakra) addresses a Dānava king and recalls his former period of royal enjoyment, when thousands of celestial dancers performed before him. Indra asks a pointed question about the Dānava’s mental state in that time of abundance versus his present condition, setting up a reflective dialogue on desire, change, and inner peace.