Shloka 31

श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः

Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma

Devanagari script

“कितने ही जीव करोड़ों कल्पोंतक स्थावररूपसे एक स्थानमें स्थित रहते हैं और कितने ही उतने समयतक इधर-उधर विचरते रहते हैं। दैत्यप्रवर! प्रजाके सृष्टिका परिमाण कई हजार बावड़ियोंकी संख्याके समान है ।।

Transliteration

kitanē hi jīvāḥ krōḍōn kalpōn-tak sthāvara-rūpēṇa ēka sthānē sthitāḥ tiṣṭhanti, ca kitanē hi tat-samayaṁ iha-paraṁ vicaranti tiṣṭhanti. daitya-pravara! prajā-sṛṣṭēḥ parimāṇaṁ kai sahasra-vāpyāḥ-saṅkhyā-samam. vāpyāḥ punar yōjana-vistṛtāstāḥ krōśaṁ ca gambhīratayā avagāḍhāḥ | āyāmataḥ pañcaśatāś ca sarvāḥ pratyēkaśō yōjanataḥ pravṛddhāḥ ||

Translation

ភីෂ្មៈបានមានព្រះវាចា៖ «សត្វជាច្រើនស្ថិតនៅទីតាំងតែមួយអស់កាលប៉ុន្មានកោដិកល្ប ដោយមានរូបជាស្ថាវរ (អចល) ហើយសត្វជាច្រើនទៀតអស់កាលដូចគ្នានោះវិលវល់ទៅមកទីនេះទីនោះ។ ឱ ព្រះអង្គដៃត្យដ៏ប្រសើរ! មាត្រដ្ឋាននៃការបង្កើតសត្វលោក ប្រៀបដូចចំនួនអណ្តូងជណ្តើរចុះទឹក (step-wells) រាប់ពាន់រាប់ម៉ឺន។ អណ្តូងទាំងនោះមួយៗទូលាយមួយយោជនៈ ជ្រៅមួយក្រូសៈ ហើយទាំងអស់មានប្រវែងប្រាំរយ; មួយៗកើនឡើងតាមយោជនៈ»។

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'jīva', 'definition': 'living being, embodied soul'}, {'term': 'kalpa', 'definition': 'aeon

• a vast cosmic period'}, {'term': 'sthāvara-rūpa', 'definition': 'immobile form (plants/trees, stationary life)'}, {'term': 'vicarati', 'definition': 'to wander, move about'}, {'term': 'daitya-pravara', 'definition': 'best among the Daityas (address to an asura interlocutor)'}, {'term': 'prajā-sṛṣṭi', 'definition': 'creation/production of creatures (progeny)'}, {'term': 'parimāṇa', 'definition': 'measure, extent, magnitude'}, {'term': 'vāpī', 'definition': 'step-well, large well/reservoir'}, {'term': 'yojana', 'definition': 'a long-distance measure (traditional unit)'}, {'term': 'krośa', 'definition': 'a measure of distance

• here used for depth'}, {'term': 'gambhīratā', 'definition': 'depth, profundity'}, {'term': 'āyāma', 'definition': 'length, extension'}, {'term': 'pratyekaśaḥ', 'definition': 'each individually, one by one'}, {'term': 'pravṛddha', 'definition': 'grown, increased, expanded'}]

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Daitya-pravara (unnamed Daitya interlocutor)
• jīva (living beings)
• kalpa (aeons)
• sthāvara (immobile beings)
• vāpī (step-wells)
• yojana
• krośa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse stresses the immense scale of cosmic time and the diversity of embodied states: some beings remain immobile for vast aeons while others wander, implying that embodiment and movement are conditioned by karma and the larger order of creation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma addresses a Daitya as part of a broader exposition in Shanti Parva, using a striking quantitative metaphor—countless step-wells with specified measures—to convey the vastness and multiplicity involved in the creation and distribution of living beings.