Shloka 19
Adhyāya 223: Nāradasya Guṇa-kathana
Catalogue of Nārada’s Virtues
यत् ते सहस्रसमिता ननुृतुर्देवयोषित:
śakra uvāca | yat te sahasra-samitā nanṛtur deva-yoṣitaḥ, katham adya tadā caiva manas te dānaveśvara |
ദാനവേശ്വരാ! സഹസ്രസംഖ്യയിലെ ദേവയോഷിതകൾ സഭകളിൽ നിന്റെ മുമ്പിൽ നൃത്തം ചെയ്തിരുന്നപ്പോൾ, അന്ന് നിന്റെ മനസ്സിന്റെ നില എങ്ങനെയായിരുന്നു—ഇന്ന് എങ്ങനെയാണ്?
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse probes the contrast between outward prosperity and the inner condition of the mind, highlighting an ethical reflection central to Śānti Parva: pleasure, power, and sensory delight are unstable, so one should examine whether the mind was truly satisfied then and what has changed now—pointing toward detachment and self-knowledge.
Indra (Śakra) addresses a Dānava king and recalls his former period of royal enjoyment, when thousands of celestial dancers performed before him. Indra asks a pointed question about the Dānava’s mental state in that time of abundance versus his present condition, setting up a reflective dialogue on desire, change, and inner peace.