Shloka 3

Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative

Devanagari script

तत्र चाप्सरस: शुभ्रा नित्यकालमतन्द्रिता:

Transliteration

tatra cāpsarasaḥ śubhrā nityakālam atandritāḥ

Translation

Dort waren auch strahlende Apsaras zugegen—stets wachsam und zu keiner Zeit ermattet—und standen der Szene mit unablässiger Bereitschaft bei, während die Erzählung durch die feierliche, jenseitige Atmosphäre fortschritt, die die Ereignisse des Krieges umgab.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र
• Form: Avyaya (locative adverb)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: Avyaya (conjunction)

• अप्सरसः: Apsarases (celestial nymphs)
• अप्सरसः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्सरस्
• Form: Feminine, nominative, plural

• शुभ्राः: bright, radiant, fair
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ्र
• Form: Feminine, nominative, plural

• नित्यकालम्: always, at all times
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्यकाल
• Form: Avyayibhava usage (accusative of time as adverb): 'always/at all times'

• अतन्द्रिताः: unwearied, untiring, vigilant
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतन्द्रित
• Form: Feminine, nominative, plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Apsarases

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores that human conflict unfolds under a wider cosmic gaze: divine beings remain vigilant, suggesting that actions in war are not merely personal or political but resonate within a moral and cosmic order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the presence of radiant Apsarases at that location, emphasizing an otherworldly, attentive attendance that heightens the solemnity and significance of the surrounding wartime events.