Shloka 38

Devanagari script

संवर्तो याजयामास स्पर्धया वै बृहस्पते: । यस्मै राजर्षये प्रादाद्‌ धनं स भगवान्‌ प्रभु:

Transliteration

Saṁvarto yājayāmāsa spardhayā vai Bṛhaspateḥ | yasmai rājarṣaye prādād dhanaṁ sa bhagavān prabhuḥ ||

Translation

Nārada said: “Saṁvarta, out of rivalry with Bṛhaspati, performed sacrificial rites as the officiating priest. To that royal sage he—Saṁvarta, the venerable and powerful one—bestowed wealth.”

Word by Word

संवर्तःSamvarta (name of a sage)

याजयामासcaused (him) to perform sacrifice / officiated (a sacrifice)

स्पर्धयाthrough rivalry, out of competition

वैindeed

बृहस्पतेःof Bṛhaspati

यस्मैto whom

राजर्षयेto the royal sage

प्रादात्gave

धनम्wealth

सःhe

भगवान्the venerable one, the blessed one

प्रभुःthe lord, the powerful one

Speaker

(नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Saṁvarta

Bṛhaspati

rājarṣi (royal sage)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sacred roles can be affected by human motives like rivalry, but the ethical weight lies in how power and wealth are used—here, wealth is directed to a righteous ruler, supporting dharmic governance and ritual order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada recounts that the sage Saṁvarta, competing with Bṛhaspati, served as the officiating priest for a king-sage’s sacrifice and then granted that royal sage wealth.