Shloka 10

Āpava

Vasiṣṭha) and the Vasus: the Kāmadhenu Theft and the Curse (Śaṃtanu–Gaṅgā Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

ययातिरुवाच यावत्‌ पृथिव्यां विहित॑ं गवाश्र॑ सहारण्यै: पशुभि: पार्वतैश्न । तावल्लोका दिवि ते संस्थिता वै तथा विजानीहि नरेन्द्रसिंह,ययातिने कहा--नरेन्द्रसिंह! इस पृथ्वीपर जंगली और पर्वतीय पशुओंके साथ जितने गाय, घोड़े आदि पशु रहते हैं, स्वर्गमें तुम्हारे लिये उतने ही लोक विद्यमान हैं। तुम इसे निश्चय जानो

Transliteration

yayātir uvāca yāvat pṛthivyāṃ vihitaṃ gavāśvaṃ sahāraṇyaiḥ paśubhiḥ pārvataiś ca | tāval lokā divi te saṃsthitā vai tathā vijānīhi narendrasiṃha ||

Translation

Yayāti dijo: «Oh león entre los reyes, sábelo con certeza: tantos como son los bueyes y caballos que se hallan en la tierra—junto con las bestias salvajes y las que habitan las montañas—tantos reinos celestiales están establecidos para ti en el cielo.»

Word by Word

• {'yayātiḥ uvāca': 'Yayāti said', 'yāvat': 'as much as

• as many as', 'pṛthivyām': 'on the earth', 'vihitam': 'placed, existing, found

• established', 'go (gavām)': 'cow

• cattle', 'aśva (aśvānām)': 'horse', 'saha': 'together with', 'āraṇya': 'of the forest

• wild', 'paśu': 'beast, animal', 'pārvatīya / pārvatāḥ': 'mountain(-dwelling)', 'tāvat': 'so much

• that many', 'lokāḥ': 'worlds, realms (esp. heavenly abodes)', 'divi': 'in heaven, in the sky', 'te': 'for you

• your', 'saṃsthitāḥ': 'standing, situated, established', 'vai': 'indeed, certainly', 'tathā': 'thus, in that manner', 'vijānīhi': 'know, understand (imperative)', 'narendra-siṃha': 'lion among kings (royal epithet)'}

Speaker

अष्टक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yayāti
• Narendrasiṃha (royal addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Merit (puṇya) is portrayed as yielding proportionate heavenly reward: the verse uses a vivid numerical comparison—countless animals on earth—to convey the vastness of the recipient’s promised heavenly abodes, emphasizing certainty of karmic fruition.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the course of the Āṣṭaka-related episode, Yayāti addresses a kingly figure (called ‘narendrasiṃha’) and assures him that an immense number of heavenly realms are reserved for him, using the total of earthly cattle, horses, and wild/mountain animals as the measure.