Shloka 19

Satyavatī’s Disclosure and the Summoning of Vyāsa

Niyoga for Kuru Succession

Devanagari script

इमे5ष्टौ वसवो देवा महाभागा महौजस: । वसिष्ठशापदोषेण मानुषत्वमुपागता:,ये तुम्हारे आठ पुत्र महातेजस्वी महाभाग वसु देवता हैं। वसिष्ठजीके शाप-दोषसे ये मनुष्य-योनिमें आये थे

Transliteration

ime 'ṣṭau vasavo devā mahābhāgā mahaujasaḥ | vasiṣṭhaśāpa-doṣeṇa mānuṣatvam upāgatāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “These are the eight Vasus—divine beings of great fortune and mighty splendor. Through the fault incurred by Vasiṣṭha’s curse, they came to assume human birth.”

Word by Word

• इमे: these
• इमे: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Karta
• Type: Numeral
• Root: अष्टन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वसवः: Vasus
• वसवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• देवाः: gods
• देवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महाभागाः: highly fortunate, illustrious
• महाभागाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाभाग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महौजसः: of great vigor/energy
• महौजसः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महौजस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वसिष्ठ: of Vasiṣṭha
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• शाप: by (a) curse
• शाप: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• दोषेण: by the fault/effect
• दोषेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• मानुषत्वम्: human state, humanity
• मानुषत्वम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुषत्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उपागताः: having attained, having come to
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-गम्
• Form: Past (perfective), Plural, Masculine, Nominative, Active (past participle)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Vasus (Aṣṭa Vasavaḥ)
• Vasiṣṭha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even exalted beings are not exempt from moral causality: a wrongful act (doṣa) can bring binding consequences, here expressed as a curse leading to human embodiment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana identifies the eight Vasus and explains why they were born as humans: they incurred Vasiṣṭha’s curse due to a fault, and thus entered the human condition.