Shloka 631
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
एकां नाभि सप्तशता अरा:ः श्रिता: प्रधिष्वन्या विंशतिरपिंता अरा: । अनेमि चक्र परिवर्तते5जरं मायाश्विनौ समनक्ति चर्षणी
ekāṃ nābhiṃ saptaśatā arāḥ śritāḥ pradhiṣvaṇyā viṃśatir apiṃtā arāḥ | anemi cakraṃ parivartate 'jaraṃ māyāśvinau samanakti carṣaṇī ||
Rāma said: “It is a wondrous wheel: it has a single hub, seven hundred spokes are set in it, and twenty more spokes are also fixed upon its rim. That rimless wheel turns on without aging. Two masterful, illusion-working horses draw it, and the discerning ones behold its motion.” In this imagery, the teaching points to the ceaseless movement of time and worldly process—vast, intricate, and seemingly self-sustaining—urging the listener to cultivate discernment rather than be carried away by appearances.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the image of an immense, unaging wheel drawn by wondrous horses to suggest the relentless, intricate cycle of time and worldly process. The ethical thrust is toward viveka (discernment): one should recognize the power of appearances (māyā) and seek steadiness in dharma rather than being swept along by the turning of the world.
Rāma speaks in a riddle-like, symbolic description—presenting a cosmic wheel with a single hub and many spokes, revolving without decay, drawn by two extraordinary horses. The speech functions as a reflective, teaching passage rather than a literal scene, inviting listeners to interpret the metaphor.