Shloka 24

नियोगप्रसङ्गः — The Niyoga Episode: Births of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu, and Vidura

Devanagari script

आनयस्वामरश्रेष्ठ त्वरितं पुण्यवर्धन । यावदस्या: पय: पीत्वा सा सखी मम मानद

Transliteration

ānayasva amarāśreṣṭha tvaritaṃ puṇyavardhana | yāvad asyāḥ payaḥ pītvā sā sakhī mama mānada || mahābhāga tvam anindyaḥ asi mama etat manorathaṃ pūraya ||

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「おお、不死者のうち最上の者よ、功徳を増し育む者よ、急いで彼女を連れて来てください。誉れを授ける方よ、わが友がこの牝牛の乳を飲み、人の世にあって—ただ一人—老いと病から守られて在り続けますように。高貴にして非難の及ばぬ方よ、この願いを成就してください。」

Word by Word

• {'ānayasva': 'bring (imperative, 2nd person singular)', 'amara-śreṣṭha': 'best among the immortals (epithet of a god)', 'tvaritam': 'quickly, without delay', 'puṇya-vardhana': 'increaser of merit/virtue

• one who augments auspiciousness', 'yāvat': 'until

• so that (introducing the intended result)', 'asyāḥ': 'of this (feminine genitive singular)', 'payaḥ': 'milk', 'pītvā': 'having drunk', 'sakhī': 'female friend, companion', 'mama': 'my', 'mānada': 'giver of honor

• one who bestows respect', 'mahābhāga': 'highly fortunate/noble one', 'anindya': 'blameless, not to be censured', 'manoratha': 'wish, cherished desire', 'pūraya': 'fulfill (imperative)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• a deity addressed as “best among the immortals” (amarāśreṣṭha)
• a cow (source of milk)
• the speaker’s female friend (sakhī)
• human world (manuṣyaloka, implied by the Hindi gloss)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights compassionate intention and the ethical use of divine or superior power: a request is made not for domination but for protection from suffering (old age and disease), framed through respectful address and the pursuit of puṇya (merit).

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) urgently petitions a divine being to bring a cow so that the speaker’s female friend may drink its milk, thereby gaining protection from aging and illness in the human realm; the request is reinforced by praising the deity as blameless and capable of fulfilling the wish.