Shloka 41

Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon

Devanagari script

सनत्कुमारादपि च वीरणो वै प्रजापति: । कृतादौ कुरुशार्दूल धर्ममेतदधीतवान्‌

Transliteration

sanatkumārād api ca vīraṇo vai prajāpatiḥ | kṛtādau kuruśārdūla dharmam etad adhītavān, nareśvara | tatpaścāt bhagavān sanatkumāraḥ naraśvarāya etat sātvata-dharma-upadeśaṃ prāha | kuruśreṣṭha! sanatkumārāt vīraṇa-prajāpatinā kṛtayugasya ādau asya dharmasya upadeśaḥ gṛhītaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: Incluso de Sanatkumāra, el Prajāpati llamado Vīraṇa aprendió este mismo Dharma al comienzo de la era Kṛta, oh rey, tigre entre los Kurus. Después, el bienaventurado Sanatkumāra impartió aquella enseñanza del Sātvata-Dharma. Oh el mejor de los Kurus, de Sanatkumāra recibió el Prajāpati Vīraṇa esta instrucción en el Dharma en el tiempo más antiguo del Kṛta-yuga.

Word by Word

• सनत्कुमारात्: from Sanatkumāra
• सनत्कुमारात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सनत्कुमार
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• वीरणः: Vīraṇa (proper name)
• वीरणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीरण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• प्रजापतिः: Prajāpati
• प्रजापतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजापति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कृतादौ: at the beginning of the Kṛta (yuga)
• कृतादौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत-आदि
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• कुरुशार्दूल: O tiger among the Kurus
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु-शार्दूल
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• धर्मम्: dharma/teaching
• धर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• एतत्: this
• Type: Pronoun/Adjective
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अधीतवान्: studied/learned
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि-इ (धातु: इ/अध्ययनार्थे), क्तवत्
• Form: Perfective past (ktavat participle), Singular, Masculine, Nominative

• नरेश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-ईश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वैशम्पायन (Vaiśampāyana)
• सनत्कुमार (Sanatkumāra)
• वीरण प्रजापति (Vīraṇa Prajāpati)
• कुरु (Kuru lineage)
• कृतयुग (Kṛta-yuga)
• सात्वत-धर्म (Sātvata-Dharma)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes the authority of Dharma through an ancient lineage of transmission: Sātvata-Dharma is presented as a venerable teaching received at the very dawn of the Kṛta-yuga, underscoring its timeless ethical and spiritual legitimacy.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes how the teaching was handed down: Sanatkumāra instructed Vīraṇa Prajāpati at the beginning of the Kṛta age, and this tradition of instruction is being recalled to validate the doctrine being discussed in the Śānti Parva.