Shloka 30

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

Devanagari script

ततो ब्रह्मा नमश्षक्रे देवाय हरिमेधसे । धर्म चाग्यं स जग्राह सरहस्यं ससंग्रहम्‌

Transliteration

tato brahmā namaḥ śakre devāya harimedhase | dharmaṃ cāgyaṃ sa jagrāha sarahasyaṃ sasaṅgraham ||

Translation

Alors Brahmā présenta ses salutations respectueuses à Śakra (Indra), le dieu à l’intelligence vive et de vaste portée. De lui, il reçut l’enseignement sacré du Dharma dans sa plénitude — avec sa raison intérieure et son compendium ordonné — afin que la droiture fût comprise non comme une simple règle, mais comme une voie de vie cohérente et principielle.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नमः: salutation
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (अव्ययीभावप्रयोगः)

• शक्रे: to Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रे: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• देवाय: to the god
• देवाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• हरिमेधसे: to Hari-medhas (of tawny/greenish might; epithet)
• हरिमेधसे: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरिमेधस्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• धर्मम्: dharma, righteousness
• धर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: अव्यय

• आज्ञम्: command/authoritative (instruction)
• आज्ञम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आज्ञ (आज्ञा-सम्बद्धः विशेषणप्रातिपदिकः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• जग्राह: took, accepted
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह्
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• स-रहस्यम्: with its secret (together with the esoteric part)
• स-रहस्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रहस्य
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• स-संग्रहम्: with its compendium/summary (together with the collection)
• स-संग्रहम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संग्रह
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Śakra (Indra)
• Dharma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is presented as an authoritative, complete teaching that includes both practical guidance and its deeper rationale (rahasya), organized as a coherent body of knowledge (saṅgraha), not merely isolated rules.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Brahmā pays homage to Śakra (Indra) and receives from him the instruction concerning Dharma—complete with its inner meaning and a structured summary—signaling a formal transmission of ethical knowledge.