Shloka 117
पृथिव्यां यानि चान्यानि सत्त्वानि जगतीपते । तानि सर्वाण्यहं तत्र पश्यन् पर्यचरं तदा,पृथ्वीपते! भूमण्डलमें जितने प्राणी हैं, उन सबको देखते हुए मैं उस समय उस बालकके उदरमें विचरता रहा
pṛthivyāṃ yāni cānyāni sattvāni jagatīpate | tāni sarvāṇy ahaṃ tatra paśyan paryacaraṃ tadā pṛthvīpate ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O lord of the world, O lord of the earth—while I was there, I beheld all the living beings that exist upon the earth, and, seeing them all, I moved about at that time within the boy’s belly.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse evokes a ‘microcosm–macrocosm’ insight: the entire world of living beings can be apprehended within a seemingly small locus, suggesting the vastness of reality beyond ordinary perception and inviting humility before the mysterious order of existence.
Vaiśampāyana narrates an extraordinary experience: while situated ‘there’—contextually described as within a boy’s belly—he perceives all creatures on earth and moves about while beholding them, emphasizing a wondrous, vision-like episode addressed to a ruler (‘lord of the earth/world’).