Shloka 4

Devanagari script

दिवि देवा महीपाल क्रीडार्थमवनिं गता: । कृत्वा कार्यमिदं चैव ततश्न दिवमागता:,भूपाल! स्वर्गके देवता भगवान्‌की लीलामें सहायता करनेके लिये पृथ्वीपर आये थे और इस कार्यको पूरा करके वे पुनः स्वर्गमें जा पहुँचे

Transliteration

divi devā mahīpāla krīḍārtham avaniṁ gatāḥ | kṛtvā kāryam idaṁ caiva tataś ca divam āgatāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O king, the gods from heaven descended to the earth for the sake of the Lord’s sport. Having accomplished this very task, they then returned again to heaven.”

Word by Word

दिविin heaven

देवाःthe gods

महीपालO king (protector of the earth)

क्रीडार्थम्for sport / for play

अवनिम्the earth

गताःhaving gone / went

कृत्वाhaving done

कार्यम्the task / duty

इदम्this

चand

एवindeed / just

ततःthen / thereafter

दिवम्to heaven

आगताःhaving come / returned

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

devāḥ (the gods)

avanī (earth)

div (heaven)

mahīpāla (the king addressed)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames major worldly events as part of a divinely guided purpose: higher beings may enter human history to uphold cosmic order, complete a destined task, and then withdraw. Ethically, it suggests humility before dharma and the limits of human control, while still affirming that actions have a role within a larger moral-cosmic design.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses the king and explains that the gods came down from heaven to the earth for a specific purpose—described as a divine ‘sport’—and, once that purpose was fulfilled, they returned to heaven.