Shloka 217

Devanagari script

यदि द्वादशवर्षाणि न वर्षेष्यति वासव:

Transliteration

yadi dvādaśavarṣāṇi na varṣeṣyati vāsavaḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “If Vāsava (Indra) does not send rain for twelve years…” The line sets up a grave moral and social crisis: prolonged drought threatens the livelihood of all beings, testing rulers and communities in their duty (dharma) to protect life, sustain sacrifice and charity, and respond with righteous action rather than despair or exploitation.

Word by Word

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• द्वादशवर्षाणि: twelve years (as a duration)
• द्वादशवर्षाणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादशवर्ष
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• वर्षेष्यति: will rain
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृष् (वर्षति)
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), Third, Singular

• वासवः: Vāsava (Indra)
• वासवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Vāsava (Indra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames drought as a dharmic test: when nature fails, human duty intensifies—leaders must protect subjects, ensure fair distribution, uphold charity and restraint, and seek righteous remedies rather than abandoning moral order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana introduces a conditional scenario of a twelve-year failure of rain by Indra, preparing the listener for consequences and the ensuing discussion or action required to address a prolonged drought.