Shloka 10

Devanagari script

यन्त्र वैहायसं चापि कारयामास कृत्रिमम्‌ | तेन यन्त्रेण समितं राजा लक्ष्यं चकार स:,राजाने एक कृत्रिम आकाश-यन्त्र भी बनवाया (जो तीव्रवेगसे आकाशमें घूमता रहता था)। उस यन्त्रके छिट्रके ऊपर उन्होंने उसीके बराबरका लक्ष्य तैयार कराकर रखवा दिया। (इसके बाद उन्होंने यह घोषणा करा दी)

Transliteration

yantraṁ vaihāyasaṁ cāpi kārayāmāsa kṛtrimam | tena yantreṇa samitaṁ rājā lakṣyaṁ cakāra saḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Le roi fit aussi construire un dispositif aérien artificiel, une machine qui se mouvait avec vitesse dans le ciel. Sur ce mécanisme en mouvement, il fit placer une cible de mesure égale, instituant ainsi un but redoutable pour l’épreuve.

Word by Word

यन्त्रम्a device/contrivance

वैहायसम्aerial; pertaining to the sky

चand

अपिalso

कारयामासcaused to be made; had (it) made

कृत्रिमम्artificial

तेनby/with that

यन्त्रेणby/with the device

समितम्measured out; made commensurate/adjusted

राजाthe king

लक्ष्यम्a target/mark

चकारmade; prepared

सःhe

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

the king (rājā)

yantra (mechanical device)

vaihāyasa-yantra (aerial device)

lakṣya (target)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a ruler’s role in setting rigorous, impartial standards: skill is to be demonstrated against a challenging, well-defined target, emphasizing discipline, competence, and fairness in selection.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator states that the king commissions an artificial sky-moving mechanism and places a precisely matched target upon it, preparing the conditions for a forthcoming public test or contest of aim.