Shloka 27

Lokapāla-samāgamaḥ—Arjuna Receives Astras from the World-Guardians

Book 3, Chapter 42

Devanagari script

शिशुर्यथा पितुरड्के सुसुखं वर्तते नग

Transliteration

śiśur yathā pitur aṅke susukhaṃ vartate nṛpa

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「王よ、幼子が父の膝に抱かれてこの上なく安らかに憩うように、正しき護りの庇護を受ける者もまた、安全と満ち足りた心のうちに住まう—この譬えは、守護の務めという倫理の責任と、それが呼び起こすべき信頼を明らかにする。」

Word by Word

• शिशुः: a child
• शिशुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यथा: as, just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• पितुः: of (his) father
• पितुः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• अङ्के: in the lap
• अङ्के: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्क
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• सुसुखम्: very comfortably, with great ease
• सुसुखम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-सुख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वर्तते: dwells/abides, remains
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (वर्तते)
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• नग: O mountain (O king/hero, lit. 'mountain')
• Type: Noun
• Root: नग
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• nṛpa (the king, addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses the metaphor of a child resting on a father’s lap to highlight dharma: true authority and guardianship should create security and ease for those under protection, and the protected should be able to trust that shelter.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses the king and illustrates a point through a homely comparison—describing the natural comfort of a child with its father—to convey the idea of safe refuge under proper care or rule.