Shloka 77

कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः

Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma

Devanagari script

केचित्‌ पुरवराकारा: केचिद्‌ गजकुलोपमा: । केचिदञ्जनसंकाशा: केचिन्मकरसंनिभा:,कुछ श्रेष्ठ नगरोंके समान, कुछ हाथियोंके झुंड-जैसे, कुछ काजलके रंगवाले और कुछ मगरोंकी-सी आकृतिवाले होते हैं

Transliteration

kecit puravarākārāḥ kecid gajakūlopamāḥ | kecid añjanasaṅkāśāḥ kecin makarasaṃnibhāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : «Les uns avaient la forme de cités excellentes ; d’autres, celle de troupeaux d’éléphants. Les uns étaient noirs comme l’añjana (khôl), et d’autres ressemblaient, par leur silhouette, à des makara, tels des crocodiles.»

Word by Word

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क-चित् (किम् + चित्)
• Form: indeclinable (pronominal quantifier), used with plural sense

• पुरवराकाराः: having the form of excellent cities
• पुरवराकाराः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरवराकार
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क-चित् (किम् + चित्)
• Form: indeclinable (pronominal quantifier), used with plural sense

• गजकुलोपमाः: like herds of elephants
• गजकुलोपमाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गजकुलोपम
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क-चित् (किम् + चित्)
• Form: indeclinable (pronominal quantifier), used with plural sense

• अञ्जनसंकाशाः: dark/black like collyrium (kohl)
• अञ्जनसंकाशाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अञ्जनसंकाश
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क-चित् (किम् + चित्)
• Form: indeclinable (pronominal quantifier), used with plural sense

• मकरसंनिभाः: resembling crocodiles/makaras
• मकरसंनिभाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मकरसंनिभ
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• puravara (excellent cities)
• gaja (elephants)
• añjana (collyrium)
• makara (crocodile/sea-creature)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the vast diversity and unpredictability of the forest world: appearances vary greatly, and one must meet the unknown with alertness and discernment rather than assumptions.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is describing a group of beings/figures encountered or spoken of in the forest context, emphasizing their varied and extraordinary forms by comparing them to cities, elephant herds, dark collyrium, and crocodiles.