Shloka 22
रावण–मारीचसंवादः तथा मृगप्रलोभनपूर्वकं सीताहरणोपक्रमः
Rāvaṇa–Mārīca Dialogue and the Decoy-Deer Prelude to Sītā’s Abduction
न सुखे सुखकामास्ते देवदेवा: सनातना: । न कल्पपरिवर्तेषु परिवर्तन्ति ते तथा,वे सुखमें प्रतिष्ठित हैं, परंतु सुखकी कामना नहीं रखते। वे देवताओंके भी देवता और सनातन हैं। कल्पका अन्त होनेपर भी उनकी स्थितिमें कोई परिवर्तन नहीं होता--वे ज्यों के-त्यों बने रहते हैं
na sukhe sukhakāmās te devadevāḥ sanātanāḥ | na kalpaparivarteṣu parivartante te tathā ||
They abide in happiness, yet they do not crave happiness. They are the eternal Gods of the gods; and even when the aeons turn and the cycles of creation change, their state does not alter—they remain just as they are.
देवदूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
True divinity (and the highest spiritual ideal) is marked by inner fullness without craving: one may be established in sukha, yet remain free from the desire for sukha. Such steadiness is portrayed as beyond the fluctuations of time and cosmic cycles (kalpa-parivarta).
A divine messenger describes the nature of the highest deities: they are eternal, not driven by desire for pleasure, and remain unchanged even through the great revolutions of cosmic time. The statement functions as instruction about stability, detachment, and the transcendent status of the supreme.