Shloka 52

चित्रसेन-समागमः / The Engagement with Citrasena and the Gandharvas

Devanagari script

अन्त:पुराणां सर्वेषां भृत्यानां चैव सर्वश: । आगोपालाविपालेभ्य: सर्व वेद कृताकृतम्‌,“अन्तः:पुरके, नौकरोंके तथा ग्वालों और गड़रियोंसे लेकर समस्त सेवकोंके सभी कार्योकी देखभाल मैं ही करती थी और किसने कया काम किया अथवा कौन काम अधूरा रह गया--इन सब बातोंकी जानकारी भी रखती थी

Transliteration

antaḥpurāṇāṁ sarveṣāṁ bhṛtyānāṁ caiva sarvaśaḥ | āgopālāvipālebhyaḥ sarvaṁ veda kṛtākṛtam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “I personally supervised all the work of the women’s quarters and of every servant without exception. From the cowherds and shepherds upward, I kept full account of what had been done and what remained unfinished.”

Word by Word

अन्तःपुराणाम्of the inner apartments (harem/inner quarters)

सर्वेषाम्of all

भृत्यानाम्of the servants

चand

एवindeed/just

सर्वशःin every way; entirely

आगोपालाविपालेभ्यःfrom the cowherds and shepherds (i.e., starting from them)

सर्वम्everything

वेदknows

कृताकृतम्done and not-done; completed and incomplete (work)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

antaḥpura (inner palace/women’s quarters)

bhṛtya (servants/retainers)

gopāla (cowherds)

avipāla (shepherds)

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?

The verse highlights dharma in the form of responsible stewardship: leadership is shown through careful oversight, equal attention to all ranks of workers, and accountability for what is completed versus left undone.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) describes her role in managing the palace’s inner quarters and the entire staff, emphasizing that she monitored everyone’s tasks—from cowherds and shepherds to other servants—and knew the status of all work.