Shloka 24

Kurukṣetra–Samantapañcaka Māhātmya: King Kuru’s Ploughing and Indra’s Boon (प्रजापतेरुत्तरवेदिः समन्तपञ्चकं)

Devanagari script

समयेन तपोडर्ध च कृच्छात्‌ प्रतिगृहीतवान्‌ | साधयित्वा तदा5>त्मानं तस्या: स गतिमन्वियात्‌

Transliteration

samayena tapo 'rdhaṃ ca kṛcchrāt pratigṛhītavān | sādhayitvā tadātmānaṃ tasyāḥ sa gatim anviyāt ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: Con el tiempo debido, y sólo con gran dificultad, él aceptó la mitad de la austeridad (tapas) que le correspondía. Luego, tras disciplinarse y perfeccionarse, siguió el curso de ella—alcanzando el mismo destino que el suyo. El pasaje subraya que el mérito espiritual no se toma a la ligera: se recibe según el tiempo y el esfuerzo apropiados, y la verdadera realización exige dominio interior, no mera pretensión.

Word by Word

समयेनby/at the proper time

तपःausterity, penance

अर्धम्half

चand

कृच्छात्from hardship; with difficulty

प्रतिगृहीतवान्accepted, received

साधयित्वाhaving accomplished/fulfilled

तदाthen

आत्मानम्himself; the self

तस्याःof her

सःhe

गतिम्course, path, state/destination

अन्वियात्should follow; would go after

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Merit and spiritual progress are gained in the right time and through genuine effort; even when a share of austerity is received, the decisive factor is self-perfection—disciplining oneself—after which one can attain the same destined state.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator states that a person, after a period of time and with difficulty, receives half of an austerity/merit, and then—having completed inner discipline—follows 'her' destiny, i.e., reaches the same course or final state as that woman.