Shloka 21

धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा—व्यासोपदेशः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and Vyāsa’s Counsel

Devanagari script

पुराहं त्वरितो यात: सभामैन्द्रीं जितक्लम: । अपश्यं तत्र च तदा समवेतान्‌ दिवौकस:,पूर्वकालकी बात है, एक बार मैं यहाँसे शीघ्रतापूर्वक इन्द्रकी सभामें गया। वहाँ जानेपर भी मुझे कोई थकावट नहीं हुई; क्योंकि मैं इन सबपर विजय पा चुका हूँ। वहाँ उस समय मैंने देखा कि इन्द्रकी सभामें सम्पूर्ण देवता एकत्र हुए हैं

Transliteration

purāhaṁ tvarito yātaḥ sabhām aindrīṁ jitaklamaḥ | apaśyaṁ tatra ca tadā samavetān divaukasaḥ ||

Translation

Vyāsa said: “Long ago I once went swiftly to Indra’s celestial assembly, free from fatigue, having overcome weariness. There, at that time, I saw all the gods gathered together in Indra’s hall.”

Word by Word

• {'purā': 'formerly, long ago', 'aham (haṁ)': 'I', 'tvaritaḥ': 'swiftly, in haste', 'yātaḥ': 'gone, proceeded', 'sabhā': 'assembly hall, court', 'aindrī': 'belonging to Indra

• Indra’s', 'jitaklamaḥ': 'one who has conquered fatigue (klama)

• tireless', 'apaśyam': 'I saw', 'tatra': 'there', 'ca': 'and', 'tadā': 'then, at that time', 'samavetān': 'assembled, gathered together', 'divaukasaḥ': 'the dwellers of heaven

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Indra
• Indra’s sabhā (celestial assembly hall)
• Divaukasaḥ (the gods/devas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse establishes Vyāsa as a reliable witness by presenting his direct experience of the divine realm; it frames the forthcoming account as grounded in authoritative vision rather than hearsay.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa begins a recollection: he quickly goes to Indra’s celestial court without fatigue and sees the gods assembled there, setting the scene for what he observed or learned in that gathering.