Shloka 14

Kṛṣṇasya asāṃnidhya-kāraṇaṃ — Śālva–Soubha-vṛttāntaḥ

Why Kṛṣṇa was absent; the Śālva and Saubha account

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत अ्जुनाभियगमनपर्वमें सौभवधोपाख्यानविषयक चौदहवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,आनर्ताक्ष तथा सर्वे नटा नर्तकगायना: । बहिनिर्वासिता: क्षिप्रं रक्षद्धिर्वित्तमंचयम्‌ धनसंग्रहकी रक्षा करनेवाले यादवोंने आनर्तदेशीय नटों, नर्तकों तथा गायकोंको शीघ्र ही नगरसे बाहर कर दिया था

Transliteration

Ānartākṣāś ca sarve naṭā nartaka-gāyanāḥ | bahir nirvāsitāḥ kṣipraṁ rakṣadbhiḥ vittam añcayam ||

Translation

Thus, in the Mahābhārata—within the Vana Parva, in the Arjunābhigamana Parva, in the episode of Saubha’s destruction—the fourteenth chapter came to its close. Then the Yādavas, as guardians of the amassed wealth, swiftly drove from the city the entertainers of Ānarta: actors, dancers, and singers, to safeguard the treasury and preserve order.

Word by Word

• {'Ānarta': 'the Ānarta region (associated with western India

• linked with Dvārakā/Anarta-deśa in epic geography)', 'Ānartākṣāḥ': 'people belonging to Ānarta (here, a group identified with performers)', 'sarve': 'all', 'naṭāḥ': 'actors, stage-performers', 'nartaka': 'dancer', 'gāyana': 'singer, musician (one who sings)', 'bahis': 'outside', 'nirvāsitāḥ': 'expelled, driven out (made to live outside)', 'kṣipram': 'quickly, promptly', 'rakṣadbhiḥ': 'by those protecting/guarding', 'vitta': 'wealth, money, property', 'añcayam': 'accumulation, hoard, collected store (of wealth)'}

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yādavas
• Ānarta (region)
• naṭa (actors)
• nartaka (dancers)
• gāyana (singers)
• city/nagara
• accumulated wealth/treasury (vittāñcaya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights rāja-dharma: those responsible for governance must protect the community’s accumulated wealth and maintain civic order. Prompt preventive action is portrayed as justified when safeguarding the treasury and public security.

What is happening in the narrative?

The Yādavas, serving as protectors of the collected wealth, quickly drive out from the city the Ānarta-associated entertainers—actors, dancers, and singers—treating them as a group to be removed for security and control.