Shloka 31

भूमिभार-निवारणप्रसङ्गः (Bhūmibhāra-nivāraṇa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Motif of Relieving Earth’s Burden

Devanagari script

यद्‌ वाक्यं श्रुतवांश्षाहं तथा च कथितं मया । आस्तीकस्य कवेरविंप्र श्रीमच्चरितमादित:,ब्रह्मन! भूगुवंशशिरोमणे! आपके पूर्वज प्रमतिने अपने पुत्र रुकुके पूछनेपर जिस प्रकार आस्तीकोपाख्यान कहा था और जिसे मैंने भी सुना था, उसी प्रकार विद्वान्‌ महात्मा आस्तीकके मंगलमय चरित्रका मैंने प्रारम्भसे ही वर्णन किया है

Transliteration

yad vākyaṃ śrutavān asmi tathā ca kathitaṃ mayā | āstīkasya kaver vipra śrīmac-caritam āditaḥ ||

Translation

Āstīka said: “O brāhmaṇa, just as I have heard this account and just as I have related it, so have I narrated from the very beginning the auspicious life-story of the sage-poet Āstīka.”

Word by Word

• {'yad': 'that which

• whatever', 'vākyaṃ': 'speech

• account', 'śrutavān (asmi)': 'I have heard', 'tathā': 'so

• in that manner', 'ca': 'and', 'kathitam': 'told

• narrated', 'mayā': 'by me', 'āstīkasya': 'of Āstīka', 'kaveḥ': 'of the poet/sage (kavi)', 'vipra': 'O brāhmaṇa

• learned priest', 'śrīmat': 'auspicious

• blessed', 'caritam': 'conduct

• deeds', 'āditaḥ': 'from the beginning'}

Speaker

आस्तीक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Āstīka
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores fidelity in transmitting sacred or traditional narratives: one should relate what has been properly heard (śruti/smṛti-based learning) without distortion, presenting an illustrious life-story in an orderly way “from the beginning.”

What is happening in the narrative?

Āstīka marks a transition/closure in his telling: he states that he has narrated the auspicious deeds of Āstīka exactly as he heard them, emphasizing accurate recounting and the completeness of the story from its start.