Shloka 15

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच तच्छुत्वा मन्दपालस्तु वचस्तेषां दिवौकसाम्‌ । क्व नु शीघ्रमपत्यं स्याद्‌ बहुलं चेत्यचिन्तयत्‌,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! देवताओंका वह वचन सुनकर मन्दपालने बहुत सोचा-विचारा कि कहाँ जानेसे मुझे शीघ्र संतान होगी

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | tac chrutvā mandapālas tu vacas teṣāṃ divaukasām | kva nu śīghram apatyaṃ syād bahulaṃ cety acintayat ||

Translation

វៃសម្បាយនបាននិយាយថា៖ «ឱ ជនមេជ័យ! ពេលមណ្ឌបាលបានឮពាក្យនោះពីទេវតា គាត់បានគិតពិចារណាយ៉ាងខ្លាំងថា តើទៅកន្លែងណាទើបអាចបានកូនចៅយ៉ាងឆាប់រហ័ស និងច្រើន»។

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

तत्that

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

मन्दपालःMandalapāla

तुbut/indeed

वचःspeech/words

तेषाम्of them

दिवौकसाम्of the dwellers in heaven (gods)

क्वwhere

नुindeed/now (interrogative particle)

शीघ्रम्quickly

अपत्यम्offspring/child

स्यात्might be/would be

बहुलम्abundant/many

चand

इतिthus

अचिन्तयत्thought/pondered

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Mandapāla

Divaukas (the gods)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights purposeful reflection after receiving higher guidance: one should thoughtfully consider the proper means to fulfill a legitimate aim (here, progeny), rather than acting impulsively.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Mandapāla, after hearing the gods’ words, begins to think intensely about where he can quickly obtain many children.