Shloka 20

Devanagari script

क्रियतां मद्ग्यो देवा यथा वै समुदाह्ृतम्‌ | एतदू व: कुर्वतां श्रेयो भवेन्नैतदकुर्वताम्‌

Transliteration

kriyatāṁ madgyo devā yathā vai samudāhṛtam | etad u vaḥ kurvatāṁ śreyo bhaven naitad akurvatām ||

Translation

Cyavana sprach: „O ihr Götter, vollzieht, was ich verkündet habe, genau so, wie es ausgesprochen wurde. Darin liegt euer Heil; wenn ihr es nicht tut, wird das Ergebnis für euch nicht gut sein.“

Word by Word

• क्रियताम्: let it be done / may it be done
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थे), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथम, एकवचनम्

• मत्: of me / my
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, षष्ठी (सम्बन्धे), एकवचनम्

• वाक्यम्: statement, word
• वाक्यम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• देवाः: O gods
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, सम्बोधन, बहुवचनम्

• यथा: as, in the manner that
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)

• वै: indeed, surely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)

• समुदाहृतम्: uttered, stated
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उद्-आ-हृ (धातु) → समुदाहृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसक, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• एतत्: this (thing)
• एतत्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• उ: and/indeed (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ (निपात/अव्यय)

• वः: for you / of you
• वः: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचनम्

• कुर्वताम्: of (you) doing / for those who do
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कुर्वत् (शतृ-कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), पुं, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्

• श्रेयः: welfare, the better (good)
• श्रेयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• भवेत्: would be / may be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम, एकवचनम्

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)

• एतत्: this (thing)
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• अकुर्वताम्: of (you) not doing / for those who do not do
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → अकुर्वत् (शतृ-कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, नकारार्थे अ-)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle) with negation-prefix अ-, पुं, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्

Speaker

च्यवन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Chyavana (Cyavana)
• Devas (gods)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse stresses that heeding rightful counsel and acting accordingly leads to śreyas (welfare), while refusal invites harmful consequences—an ethical emphasis on prudent obedience to dharmic instruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Cyavana addresses the gods directly, urging them to accept and implement what he has proclaimed, framing it as beneficial for them and warning that noncompliance will bring an unfavorable result.