Shloka 11

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

पारिजातेन राजेन्द्र पर्वतेन च धीमता । सुमुखेन च सौम्येन देवर्षिरमितद्युति:

Transliteration

pārijātena rājendra parvatena ca dhīmatā | sumukhena ca saumyena devarṣir amitadyutiḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô roi, le voyant divin d’une splendeur incommensurable arriva, accompagné de Pārijāta, du sage Parvata et de Sumukha, doux et au visage gracieux.»

Word by Word

पारिजातेनby/with Parijata (name)

राजेन्द्रO king of kings

पर्वतेनby/with the mountain

चand

धीमताby/with the wise one

सुमुखेनby/with the fair-faced one

चand

सौम्येनby/with the gentle one

देवर्षिःthe divine sage

अमितद्युति:of immeasurable splendor

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

rājendra (the king addressed, traditionally Janamejaya)

Pārijāta

Parvata

Sumukha

devarṣi (a divine sage, unnamed in this verse)

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 how the presence of venerable sages functions as a moral and spiritual marker in the narrative: their radiance, gentleness, and wisdom lend ethical gravity to the events at court and imply that counsel aligned with dharma is near at hand.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the arrival of a divine seer, accompanied by figures named Pārijāta, Parvata (noted as wise), and Sumukha (noted as gentle and fair-faced), setting an auspicious tone for the ensuing courtly developments in the Sabha Parva.