Shloka 4

Devanagari script

दिवि देवा महीपाल क्रीडार्थमवनिं गता: । कृत्वा कार्यमिदं चैव ततश्न दिवमागता:

Transliteration

divi devā mahīpāla krīḍārtham avaniṁ gatāḥ | kṛtvā kāryam idaṁ caiva tataś ca divam āgatāḥ ||

Translation

വൈശംപായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ രാജാവേ! ഭഗവാന്റെ ലീലയിൽ സഹായിക്കാനായി സ്വർഗ്ഗത്തിലെ ദേവന്മാർ ഭൂമിയിലേക്കിറങ്ങി വന്നു. ഈ കാര്യം പൂർത്തിയാക്കി അവർ വീണ്ടും സ്വർഗ്ഗത്തിലേക്ക് മടങ്ങി.

Word by Word

• दिवि: in heaven
• दिवि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महीपाल: O king (protector of the earth)
• महीपाल: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपाल
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• क्रीडार्थम्: for sport / for play
• क्रीडार्थम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रीडार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अवनिम्: the earth
• अवनिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवनि
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• गताः: having gone / went
• गताः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Past active participle (क्त)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वा)

• कार्यम्: the task / duty
• कार्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed / just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• ततः: then / thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• दिवम्: to heaven
• दिवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• आगताः: having come / returned
• आगताः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Past active participle (क्त)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• devāḥ (the gods)
• avanī (earth)
• div (heaven)
• mahīpāla (the king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames major worldly events as part of a divinely guided purpose: higher beings may enter human history to uphold cosmic order, complete a destined task, and then withdraw. Ethically, it suggests humility before dharma and the limits of human control, while still affirming that actions have a role within a larger moral-cosmic design.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses the king and explains that the gods came down from heaven to the earth for a specific purpose—described as a divine ‘sport’—and, once that purpose was fulfilled, they returned to heaven.