Shloka 20

अध्याय १९० — वामदेव-वाम्य-वृत्तान्तः

The Vāmadeva Horses Episode and the Ethics of Promise

Devanagari script

वसनं शयनं चैव विलयं चैव विद्धि मे । मयैव सुविभक्तास्ते देवकार्यार्थसिद्धये,मैं ही संवर्तक (प्रलयका कारण) वल्ि हूँ। मैं ही संवर्तक अनल हूँ। मैं ही संवर्तक सूर्य हूँ और मैं ही संवर्तक वायु हूँ। द्विजश्रेष्ठ आकाशमें जो ये तारे दिखायी देते हैं उन सबको मेरे ही रोमकूप समझो। रत्नाकर समुद्र और चारों दिशाओंको मेरे वस्त्र, शय्या और निवासस्थान जानो। मैंने ही देवताओंके कार्यकी सिद्धिके लिये इनकी पृथक्‌-पृथक्‌ रचना की है

Transliteration

vasanaṁ śayanaṁ caiva vilayaṁ caiva viddhi me | mayaiva suvibhaktās te devakāryārthasiddhaye ||

Translation

神は告げた。「大海と四方は、我が衣であり、我が臥所であり、我が住まいであると知れ。諸天の事業を成就させるため、我はそれらを明確に分け、整えて置いた。」

Word by Word

वसनम्garment, clothing

शयनम्bed, resting-place

चand

एवindeed, just

विलयम्dissolution, destruction

चand

एवindeed, just

विद्धिknow (you), understand

मेof me / my

मयाby me

एवindeed, alone

सुविभक्ताःwell-divided, properly apportioned

तेthey / those (things)

देवकार्यof the gods' task/purpose

अर्थfor the sake/purpose (as member of compound)

सिद्धयेfor the accomplishment

Speaker

देव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Deva (the speaking deity)

Ocean (Ratnākara, implied by the prose context)

Four directions (diśaḥ, implied by the prose context)

Gods (devāḥ)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts divine immanence and governance: the cosmos is presented as the deity’s own ‘garment, bed, and abode,’ and its orderly differentiation is purposeful—meant to enable the functioning and aims of the gods (and, by extension, cosmic order).

What is happening in the narrative?

A deity is speaking in a revelatory mode, describing the universe as part of the deity’s own being and explaining that cosmic structures are intentionally arranged to fulfill divine/cosmic tasks.