Shloka 21

Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 115 — Mādri’s request; invocation of the Aśvins; birth and naming of the Pāṇḍavas

Devanagari script

एकाधिकशतं पूर्ण यथायोगं विशाम्पते । मांसपेश्यास्तदा राजन्‌ क्रमश: कालपर्ययात्‌,राजन! कालके परिवर्तनसे क्रमश: उस मांसपिण्डके यथायोग्य पूरे एक सौ एक भाग हुए

Transliteration

ekādhikaśataṁ pūrṇaṁ yathāyogaṁ viśāmpate | māṁsapeśyās tadā rājan kramaśaḥ kālaparyayāt ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Oh señor del pueblo, oh rey: cuando el tiempo transcurrió según su debido curso, aquella masa de carne fue, de manera apropiada, dividida poco a poco en un total completo de ciento una porciones».

Word by Word

एकाधिकशतम्one hundred and one (in total)

पूर्णम्complete; fully formed

यथायोगम्as appropriate; according to due order

विशाम्पतेO lord of the people

मांसपेश्याःlumps/masses of flesh

तदाthen

राजन्O king

क्रमशःgradually; in sequence

कालपर्ययात्from the change/passage of time

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

King (addressed as viśāmpati/rājan)

mass of flesh (māṁsa-piṇḍa implied)

one hundred and one portions (ekādhikaśata)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores kāla (time) as an ordering force: outcomes unfold ‘in due course’ (kālaparyayāt) and ‘as fitting’ (yathāyogam). Even extraordinary events are framed as proceeding according to an intelligible sequence, reminding the listener that patience and attention to proper process are integral to understanding destiny and lineage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a miraculous development: a single mass of flesh is gradually separated, over time, into 101 distinct portions. This sets up the account of the unusual births connected with the Kuru lineage (the Kauravas and an additional child), emphasizing sequential formation rather than instantaneous creation.