Shloka 131

कृपकृपी-जननम्

The Birth of Kṛpa and Kṛpī; Kṛpa’s Attainment of Astras

Devanagari script

आक्रीडशभूमिं देवानां गन्धर्वाप्सरसां तथा । उद्यानानि कुबेरस्थ समानि विषमाणि च

Transliteration

ākrīḍaśabhūmiṃ devānāṃ gandharvāpsarasāṃ tathā | udyānāni kuberastha samāni viṣamāṇi ca

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: «Dort gab es auch die Spielplätze der Götter, ebenso die der Gandharvas und Apsaras; und es gab Gärten, die Kubera gehörten—einige eben und gleichmäßig, andere uneben und mannigfaltig.»

Word by Word

आक्रीडशभूमिम्playground; sporting-ground

देवानाम्of the gods

गन्धर्वाप्सरसाम्of Gandharvas and Apsarases

तथाand also; likewise

उद्यानानिgardens; pleasure-groves

कुबेरस्थbelonging to/located in Kubera's (realm)

समानिsimilar; equal

विषमाणिunequal; varied

चand

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Devas

Gandharvas

Apsarases

Kubera

Ākrīḍaśa-bhūmi (sporting-grounds)

Udyāna (gardens)

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 underscores the Mahābhārata’s vision of ordered yet diverse cosmic realms: even in divine domains there is variety (samāni/viṣamāṇi), suggesting that abundance and beauty can coexist with difference and complexity rather than uniformity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana continues a descriptive passage portraying splendid celestial locales—playgrounds and pleasure-gardens associated with gods, Gandharvas, Apsarases, and Kubera—emphasizing the grandeur and richness of the setting being narrated.