Shloka 13

अर्हणनिर्णयः

Decision on the Highest Honor at the Assembly

Devanagari script

अथ चिन्तां समापेदे स मुनिर्मनुजाधिप । नारदस्तु तदा पश्यन्‌ सर्वक्षत्रसमागमम्‌

Transliteration

atha cintāṃ samāpede sa munir manujādhipa | nāradas tu tadā paśyan sarva-kṣatra-samāgamam, devānāṃ saṅgamaṃ taṃ tu vijñāya kuru-nandana | nāradaḥ puṇḍarīkākṣaṃ sasmāra manasā harim ||

Translation

Maka sang resi itu, wahai penguasa manusia, tenggelam dalam renungan yang dalam. Nārada, ketika melihat perhimpunan besar seluruh kṣatriya itu, wahai kebanggaan Kuru, memahami bahwa sesungguhnya itu adalah pertemuan para dewa. Mengetahui hal itu, Nārada pun mengingat dalam batinnya Hari—Tuhan bermata teratai—seraya memusatkan pikirannya pada kehadiran ilahi di balik tontonan duniawi itu.

Word by Word

• {'atha': 'then

• now (narrative transition)', 'cintām samāpede': 'entered into thought

• became absorbed in concern/reflection', 'muniḥ': 'sage

• seer', 'manujādhipa': 'lord of men

• king (vocative)', 'nāradaḥ': 'Nārada (divine sage, celestial messenger)', 'tadā': 'at that time', 'paśyan': 'seeing

• observing', 'sarva-kṣatra-samāgama': 'assembly of all kṣatriyas

• gathering of royal warriors', 'devānām saṅgamaḥ': 'concourse/meeting of the gods', 'vijñāya': 'having understood

• recognizing', 'kuru-nandana': 'delight of the Kurus (address to Janamejaya)', 'puṇḍarīkākṣa': 'lotus-eyed (epithet of Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)', 'sasmāra': 'remembered

• called to mind', 'manasā': 'with the mind

• mentally', 'harim': 'Hari (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa), the remover (of sin/sorrow)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Nārada
• Hari (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• Kuru-nandana (Janamejaya, implied addressee)
• kṣatriyas (royal warriors)
• devas (gods)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Worldly power and political spectacle can conceal a deeper divine order; the wise recognize the sacred dimension behind events and respond with inward remembrance (smaraṇa) of the Supreme rather than mere fascination or fear.

What is happening in the narrative?

As the great gathering of kings is observed, Nārada discerns that this is not merely a human congregation but resembles a convocation of the gods; realizing the extraordinary nature of the moment, he mentally invokes and remembers Hari, the lotus-eyed Lord.