Shloka 18

Adhyāya 6: Pañca-mahābhūta–guṇa-nirdeśa and Sudarśana-dvīpa

Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island

Devanagari script

तत्र देवगणा राजन्‌ गन्धर्वासुरराक्षसा: | अप्सरोगणसंयुक्ता: शैले क्रीडन्ति सर्वदा,राजन्‌! उस पर्वतपर देवता, गन्धर्व, असुर, राक्षस तथा अप्सराएँ सदा क्रीड़ा करती रहती हैं

Transliteration

tatra devagaṇā rājan gandharvāsurarākṣasāḥ | apsarogaṇasaṃyuktāḥ śaile krīḍanti sarvadā ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O King, there on that mountain the hosts of gods—together with Gandharvas, Asuras, and Rākṣasas—accompanied by companies of Apsarases, continually engage in sport.”

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• देवगणाः: groups of gods
• देवगणाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवगण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• गन्धर्व: Gandharvas
• गन्धर्व: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• असुर: Asuras
• असुर: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: असुर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राक्षसाः: Rakshasas
• राक्षसाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अप्सरोगणसंयुक्ताः: accompanied by groups of Apsarases
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अप्सरोगणसंयुक्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शैले: on the mountain
• शैले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• क्रीडन्ति: play / sport
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्रीड्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• सर्वदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• King (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• Devas (devagaṇāḥ)
• Gandharvas
• Asuras
• Rākṣasas
• Apsarases
• Mountain (śaila)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a cosmic hierarchy where various classes of beings inhabit distinct realms and follow their natures—here, perpetual celestial sport—implicitly setting a backdrop of ordered worlds against the moral turbulence of human warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes to the king a wondrous mountain where gods and other supernatural beings, along with Apsarases, are said to play continually, adding mythic atmosphere and scale to the surrounding account.