Shloka 95

Kubera’s Fivefold Nīti and Protection of the Pāṇḍavas (वैश्रवणोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

शशलोहितवर्णाभा: क्वचिद्गैरिकधातव: । सितासिताभ्रप्रतिमा बालसूर्यसमप्र भा:,“कहीं गेरु नामक धातु हैं, जिनकी कान्ति लाल खरगोशके समान दिखायी देती है। कोई धातु श्वेत बादलोंके समान हैं, तो कोई काले मेघोंके समान। कोई प्रातःकालके सूर्यकी भाँति लाल रंगके हैं

Transliteration

śaśalohitavarṇābhāḥ kvacid gairikadhātavaḥ | sitāsitābhrapratimā bālasūryasamaprabhāḥ ||

Translation

قال فَيْشَمْبَايَنَة: «وفي بعض المواضع توجد خاماتُ المغرة الحمراء (الغَيْرِكَة)، تتلألأ كحمرة الأرنب. فمنها ما يشبه السحب البيضاء، ومنها ما يشبه سحب المطر الداكنة؛ ومنها ما يلمع بوهجٍ أحمر كبهاء شمس الصباح الأولى.»

Word by Word

शश-लोहित-वर्ण-आभाःhaving a hue like rabbit-blood-red (i.e., reddish like a hare)

क्वचित्in some places / somewhere

गैरिक-धातवःochre minerals (geru-ores)

सित-असित-अभ्र-प्रतिमाःresembling white and black clouds

बाल-सूर्य-सम-प्रभाःhaving radiance like the young (morning) sun

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

gairika-dhātu (red ochre ore)

clouds (white and dark)

sun (morning sun)

hare (as a color-comparison)

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 highlights attentive perception of the natural world—seeing variety without grasping—suggesting a reflective mind that recognizes diversity in creation and the transient play of appearances.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is describing a region’s striking landscape, focusing on different mineral deposits whose colors are compared to a hare’s reddish hue, white and dark clouds, and the red glow of the morning sun.