Shloka 91
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
शाखायां तस्य वृक्षस्य विस्तीर्णायां नराधिप । पर्यड्के पृथिवीपाल दिव्यास्तरणसंस्तृते,नराधिप! उस वृक्षकी चौड़ी शाखापर एक पलंग था, जिसके ऊपर दिव्य बिछौने बिछे हुए थे। महाराज! उस पलंगपर एक सुन्दर बालक बैठा दिखायी दिया, जिसका मुख कमलके समान कमनीय शोभा धारण करनेवाला तथा चन्द्रमाके समान नेत्रोंको आनन्द देनेवाला था। उसके नेत्र प्रफुल्ल पद्मदलके समान विशाल थे
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
śākhāyāṃ tasya vṛkṣasya vistīrṇāyāṃ narādhipa |
paryaṅke pṛthivīpāla divyāstaraṇasaṃstṛte ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O king, upon a broad, spreading branch of that tree there was a couch, O protector of the earth, covered with celestial bedding.” (The scene sets an otherworldly, auspicious setting—suggesting a divinely arranged encounter rather than an ordinary forest sight, inviting the listener to attend to the moral and spiritual significance of what is about to be revealed.)
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds an atmosphere of divinely ordered encounter: in the wilderness, a king is shown a sign of higher arrangement (a celestial couch set upon a tree). Ethically, it cues reverence and attentiveness—suggesting that not all events are random, and that one should respond to extraordinary signs with restraint, discernment, and respect for dharma.
The narrator describes a remarkable sight in the forest: on a wide branch of a tree there is a couch covered with heavenly bedding. This prepares the listener for the appearance of an extraordinary figure and the unfolding of a significant episode.