Shloka 21

Pātāla-varṇana (Nārada’s Description of the Netherworld) / पातालवर्णनम्

Devanagari script

अशास्यानपि शास्त्येष रक्षोबन्धुषु राजसु । सृष्ट: प्रथमतश्नण्डो ब्रह्मणा ब्रह्मवादिना,ब्रह्मवादी ब्रह्माजीने पहले इस प्रचण्ड धनुषका निर्माण किया था। यह राक्षससदृश राजाओंमेंसे अदम्य नरेशोंका भी दमन कर डालता है

Transliteration

aśāsyān api śāsty eṣa rakṣo-bandhuṣu rājasu | sṛṣṭaḥ prathamataś caṇḍo brahmaṇā brahma-vādinā ||

Translation

ກັນວະກ່າວວ່າ: «ອາວຸດອັນດຸຮ້າຍນີ້ ຍັງສາມາດບັງຄັບໃຫ້ຜູ້ທີ່ບໍ່ຍອມຮັບການສັ່ງສອນ ຢູ່ໃນວິໄນ—ບັນດາກະສັດຜູ້ມີກິລິຍາດັ່ງຍາດຂອງຣາກສະ. ແຕ່ເດີມ ມັນຖືກສ້າງໂດຍພຣະພຣົມ (ບຣະຫມາ) ຜູ້ຮູ້ແລະປະກາດສັດທຳ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ມັນຈຶ່ງສາມາດປະຫານແມ່ນແຕ່ຜູ້ປົກຄອງທີ່ດື້ດຶນ ເພື່ອເປັນເຄື່ອງຂັດຂວາງອໍານາດອັນໄຮ້ກົດໝາຍ»។

Word by Word

अशास्यान्unruly / ungovernable (ones)

अपिeven / also

शास्तिrestrains / chastises / governs

एषःthis (one)

रक्षः-बन्धुषुamong kings allied/akin to rakshasas

राजसुamong kings

सृष्टःcreated / produced

प्रथमतःat first / firstly

प्रचण्डःfierce / mighty

ब्रह्मणाby Brahman / by the sacred power (or: by Brahmā, depending on reading)

ब्रह्मवादिनाby the expounder of Brahman / by the Brahma-speaking one

Speaker

कण्व उवाच

Characters & Entities

क

कण्व (Kaṇva)

ब

ब्रह्मा (Brahmā)

प

प्रचण्ड धनुष/शस्त्र (a fierce bow/weapon)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power and punishment (daṇḍa) are ethically justified when used to restrain incorrigible, lawless rulers; legitimate authority is grounded in dharma and, here, symbolically in a divine/sacred origin.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kaṇva describes a formidable weapon—likened to a fierce bow—saying it was first created by Brahmā and is capable of disciplining even rākṣasa-like kings, emphasizing its role as a check on tyrannical power.