Shloka 8

Devanagari script

एकं शतसहस्रेण सम्मितं राष्ट्रवर्धनम्‌ । चित्रमुच्चावचैर्वर्णै: शोभितं श्लक्ष्णममवत्रणम्‌

Transliteration

ekaṃ śatasahasreṇa sammitaṃ rāṣṭravardhanam | citram uccāvacair varṇaiḥ śobhitaṃ ślakṣṇam amavatraṇam ||

Translation

বৈশম্পায়ন বললেন—একটি আশ্চর্য বস্তু ছিল, যার মূল্য এক লক্ষের সমান গণ্য হত এবং যা রাজ্যের সমৃদ্ধি বৃদ্ধি করত। তা নানা রঙের বিচিত্র অলংকারে শোভিত, দীপ্তিমান, স্পর্শে মসৃণ এবং আবরণযুক্ত ছিল।

Word by Word

एकम्one

शतसहस्रेणby/with a hundred-thousand (i.e., 100,000)

सम्मितम्measured, amounting to

राष्ट्रवर्धनम्that which increases the kingdom/prosperity

चित्रम्variegated, wonderful

उच्चावचैःwith high and low (i.e., various)

वर्णैःwith colors

शोभितम्adorned, beautified

श्लक्ष्णम्smooth, fine

अमवत्रणम्a covering/garment (reading uncertain)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how royal prosperity is often displayed and reinforced through valuable, well-crafted objects; it implicitly points to the ethical responsibility of rulers to use wealth in ways that strengthen the realm rather than merely indulge vanity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a single highly valuable, beautifully adorned item—variegated in color, smooth, and covered—emphasizing its worth and its role as an enhancer of the kingdom’s splendor and prosperity.