Shloka 20

गालवेन उशीनरराजसमागमः

Gālava’s Audience with King Uśīnara

Devanagari script

तदनन्तर समय आनेपर भगवान्‌ गालव मुनि पुनः दिवोदासके पास आये और उनसे इस प्रकार बोले-- ।। निर्यातयतु मे कन्यां भवांस्तिष्ठन्तु वाजिन: । यावदन्यत्र गच्छामि शुल्कार्थ पृथिवीपते,'पृथ्वीनाथ! अब आप मुझे राजकन्याको लौटा दें। आपके दिये हुए घोड़े अभी आपके ही पास रहें। मैं इस समय शुल्क प्राप्त करनेके लिये अन्यत्र जा रहा हूँ”

Transliteration

tadanantaraṃ samaya ānepare bhagavān gālava muni punaḥ divodāsasya pāśam āyau ca tam evaṃ uvāca— nirjātayatu me kanyāṃ bhavāṃs tiṣṭhantu vājinaḥ | yāvad anyatra gacchāmi śulkārthaṃ pṛthivīpate || pṛthvīnātha! adhunā tvaṃ me rājakaṇyāṃ punar dadāhi | tvayā dattā aśvāḥ adhunāpi tavaiva sannidhau tiṣṭhantu | aham idānīṃ śulka-prāpty-arthaṃ anyatra gacchāmi ||

Translation

When the agreed time had passed, the venerable sage Gālava again came to King Divodāsa and spoke thus: “Return the maiden to me now, O king, lord of the earth. Let the horses you gave remain with you for the present. I go elsewhere to obtain the bride-price (śulka).”

Word by Word

• {'tad-anantaram': 'thereafter, after that', 'samaya': 'appointed time

• stipulated term', 'bhagavān': 'venerable, revered (honorific for a sage)', 'gālavaḥ (muniḥ)': 'Galava, a sage', 'punaḥ': 'again', 'divodāsaḥ': 'Divodasa, a king (addressed here)', 'nirjātayatu': 'let (him) send out/hand over/return (imperative/optative sense)', 'me': 'to me, my', 'kanyā': 'maiden

• princess', 'bhavān': 'your honor

• you (respectful address)', 'tiṣṭhantu': 'let them remain, let them stay', 'vājinaḥ': 'horses, steeds', 'yāvat': 'until

• while', 'anyatra': 'elsewhere', 'gacchāmi': 'I go, I will go', 'śulka-artham': 'for the sake of śulka

• to obtain the bride-price/fee', 'pṛthivī-pate / pṛthvī-nātha': 'lord of the earth

Speaker

दिवोदास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Gālava (sage)
• Divodāsa (king)
• kanyā (the princess/maiden)
• vājinaḥ (horses/steeds)
• śulka (bride-price/fee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharma as fidelity to agreements and ethical custody: one should not retain a person or benefit without fulfilling the stipulated obligation, and one should avoid imposing unnecessary burdens on others while pursuing one’s own duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the agreed period ends, Galava returns to Divodasa and requests that the princess be handed back to him. He tells the king to keep the horses for now, while Galava goes elsewhere to secure the required śulka (bride-price/fee).