Shloka 173
Adhyāya 223: Nāradasya Guṇa-kathana
Catalogue of Nārada’s Virtues
इदं च ते5द्य व्यसनं शोचस्याहो न शोचसि । सब दैत्य तुम्हारा मुँह जोहते हुए तुम्हारे ही शासनमें रहते थे। तुम्हारे राज्यमें पृथ्वी बिना जोते-बोये ही अनाज पैदा करती थी। परंतु आज तुम्हारे ऊपर यह संकट आ पहुँचा है। इसके लिये तुम शोक करते हो या नहीं?
idaṃ ca te 'dya vyasanaṃ śocasy āho na śocasi | sarve daityās tava mukhaṃ johatāḥ tavaiva śāsane 'vasan | tava rājye pṛthivī ajoṭā-bījā api dhānyaṃ prasūyate sma | parantu adya tvayi idaṃ saṅkaṭam āpatitam | etad-arthaṃ tvaṃ śocasi vā na vā ?
Dijo Śakra: «Y ahora esta calamidad ha caído sobre ti: ¿te afliges por ella, o no te afliges? En otro tiempo, todos los Daityas vivían bajo tu propio mando, atentos a tu rostro para recibir la orden. En tu reino, la tierra daba grano aun sin arar ni sembrar. Y, sin embargo, hoy esta crisis se ha abatido sobre ti. Dime: ¿lo lamentas, o no?»
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage contrasts former prosperity and authority with present adversity to prompt reflection on impermanence and the proper response to misfortune. It implicitly tests whether a ruler (or powerful being) understands that fortune changes and whether one meets crisis with discernment rather than complacency.
Śakra (Indra) addresses a figure who once enjoyed unquestioned sovereignty—so much so that the Daityas lived under his rule and the earth yielded abundant grain effortlessly. Indra points out that a crisis has now befallen him and asks directly whether he grieves, pressing him to acknowledge the reversal of fortune.