Shloka 4

कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः

Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma

Devanagari script

अनन्तरिक्षे लोके5स्मिन्‌ देवदानववर्जिते । त्वमेव प्रलये विप्र ब्रह्माणमुपतिष्ठसे

Transliteration

anantarikṣe loke 'smin devadānavavarjite | tvam eva pralaye vipra brahmāṇam upatiṣṭhase ||

Translation

「婆羅門よ、宇宙の滅尽の時、この世界が—中界（アンタリクシャ）をも含め—神々と阿修羅を失って空虚となるとき、ただあなた一人が残り、敬虔なる奉仕をもってブラフマーに侍するのだ。」

Word by Word

• अनन्तरिक्षे: in the non-atmospheric (space-less) state / without the intermediate region
• अनन्तरिक्षे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनन्तरिक्ष
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• देवदानववर्जिते: devoid of gods and demons
• देवदानववर्जिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देव-दानव-वर्जित
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• एव: alone/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• प्रलये: at the dissolution (pralaya)
• प्रलये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• विप्र: O brahmin/sage
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• ब्रह्माणम्: Brahmā (as object)
• ब्रह्माणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (ब्रह्मा)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• उपतिष्ठसे: you attend upon / worship / serve
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-स्था
• Form: Present, Second, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• vipra (a brāhmaṇa addressed)
• Brahmā
• deva (gods)
• dānava (demons)
• anantarikṣa (mid-region/atmosphere)
• pralaya (cosmic dissolution)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True dharma expressed as unwavering reverent service: devotion and duty remain meaningful even when the cosmos is emptied at pralaya, showing constancy beyond circumstance.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes a cosmic-pralaya scenario where gods and demons are absent; the addressed brāhmaṇa alone remains present with Brahmā, attending upon him in worshipful service.