Shloka 119

Devanagari script

न विस्मयस्ते नृपते यज्ञे कार्य: कथंचन । ऋषिकोटिसहस्त्राणि तपोभियें दिवं गता:,नरेश्वर! उस यज्ञके सम्बन्धमें ऐसी घटना सुनकर तुम्हें किसी प्रकार विस्मय नहीं करना चाहिये। सहस्रों कोटि ऐसे ऋषि हो गये हैं, जो यज्ञ न करके केवल तपस्याके ही बलसे दिव्य लोकको प्राप्त हो चुके हैं

Transliteration

na vismayas te nṛpate yajñe kāryaḥ kathaṃcana | ṛṣikoṭisahasrāṇi tapobhir ye divaṃ gatāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: „O König, du sollst dich in keiner Weise über dieses Opfer wundern. Unzählige Weise haben — allein durch die Kraft der Askese — die himmlischen Welten erlangt, selbst ohne Opfer darzubringen.“

Word by Word

नnot

विस्मयःastonishment

तेof you/your

नृपतेO king

यज्ञेin/with regard to the sacrifice

कार्यःto be done/ought to be (made)

कथंचनin any way; at all

ऋषि-कोटि-सहस्त्राणिthousands of crores of sages

तपोभिःby austerities

येwho

दिवम्heaven; the celestial world

गताःgone; attained

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

nṛpati (the king, addressee)

yajña (sacrifice)

Ṛ

ṛṣayaḥ (sages)

divaṃ (heaven/celestial world)

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?

Do not be surprised by extraordinary outcomes connected with ritual; spiritual attainment is not limited to sacrifice alone—many sages reach higher worlds through tapas (austerity) and inner discipline. The verse underscores multiple valid paths within dharma and recommends steadiness of mind rather than amazement.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses a king who has heard of an unusual incident related to a sacrifice. He counsels the king not to be astonished, citing the precedent that innumerable sages have attained heaven by austerities alone, thereby placing the reported event within a broader dharmic framework.