Shloka 21

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच ततो विराटो नृपति: सम्प्रहृष्टतनुरुह:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! अपने अमित-पराक्रमी कुमारकी विजयका समाचार सुनकर राजा विराट बड़े प्रसन्न हुए। उनके शरीरमें रोमांच हो आया। उन्होंने वस्त्र और आशभूषणोंसे उन दूतोंका सत्कार किया और मन्त्रीको आज्ञा दी--

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca | tato virāṭo nṛpatiḥ samprahṛṣṭa-tanūruhaḥ | janamejaya! svasyāmita-parākramiṇaḥ kumārasya vijaya-samācāraṃ śrutvā sa mahān prahṛṣṭo ’bhavat | tasya gātreṣu romāñco ’bhavat | sa dūtān vastrābharaṇaiḥ satkṛtvā mantriṇaṃ samādiśat |

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。かくして人々の王ヴィラータは、計り知れぬ武威をもつ我が子の勝利の報を聞くや、歓喜に震え、身の毛もよだつほどであった。王は喜悦に満たされ、使者たちを衣と装身具で厚くねぎらい、ついで大臣に命を下した――吉報に接した君主は、無分別な狂宴ではなく、感謝と施与、そして秩序ある政務によって応ずべきことを示すかのように。

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaishampayana

उवाचsaid

ततःthen; thereafter

विराटःVirata

नृपतिःking

सम्प्रहृष्ट-तनुरुहःwhose body-hairs were thrilled (with joy); having horripilation

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Janamejaya

Virāṭa

Virāṭa's son (kumāra)

messengers (dūtāḥ)

minister (mantrī)

garments (vastrāṇi)

ornaments (ābharaṇāni)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should respond to success with disciplined joy: acknowledge merit, reward loyal service (the messengers), and immediately translate good news into orderly administrative action through trusted ministers.

What is happening in the narrative?

After hearing that his son has achieved victory, King Virāṭa becomes ecstatic (hairs standing on end), honors the messengers with gifts, and then commands his minister—preparing the court’s next steps in response to the victory report.