Shloka 50

अध्याय १९० — वामदेव-वाम्य-वृत्तान्तः

The Vāmadeva Horses Episode and the Ethics of Promise

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच इत्युक्त्वान्तर्हितस्तात स देव: परमाद्धुत: । प्रजाश्वैमा: प्रपश्यामि विचित्रा विविधा: कृता:,मार्कण्डेयजी कहते हैं--तात युधिष्ठिर! ऐसा कहकर वे परम अद्भुत देवता भगवान्‌ बालमुकुन्द अन्तर्धान हो गये। उनके अन्तर्धान होते ही मैंने देखा कि यह नाना प्रकारकी विचित्र प्रजा ज्यों-की-त्यों उत्पन्न हो गयी है

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | ity uktvāntarhitas tāta sa devaḥ paramādbhutaḥ | prajāś ca imāḥ prapaśyāmi vicitrā vividhāḥ kṛtāḥ ||

Translation

മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—താതാ! ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞ് ആ പരമാദ്ഭുതനായ ദേവൻ അന്തർധാനം ചെയ്തു. അദ്ദേഹം അദൃശനായ ഉടനെ, നാനാവിധ വിചിത്രരൂപങ്ങളാൽ നിർമ്മിതമായ ഈ പ്രജകൾ യഥാതഥമായി ഉദ്ഭവിച്ചതായി ഞാൻ കണ്ടു.

Word by Word

• {'mārkaṇḍeya uvāca': '‘Mārkaṇḍeya said’ (speaker formula)', 'iti uktvā': 'having said thus', 'antarhitaḥ': 'vanished

• withdrew from perception', 'tāta': 'dear one

• affectionate address (here to Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'sa devaḥ': 'that deity', 'parama-adbhutaḥ': 'supremely marvelous/wondrous', 'prajāḥ': 'creatures

• living beings', 'imāḥ': 'these', 'prapaśyāmi': 'I see

• I behold (present, vivid narration)', 'vicitrāḥ': 'variegated

• diverse in appearance', 'vividhāḥ': 'manifold

• of many kinds', 'kṛtāḥ': 'made

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Yudhiṣṭhira (implied by tāta in context)
• Deva (the wondrous deity; identified in Gītā Press Hindi as Bālamukunda)
• Prajāḥ (created beings/creatures)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the divine capacity to manifest and withdraw the world of beings at will, highlighting the mystery of creation and the limits of ordinary perception—encouraging humility and reverence toward the cosmic order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya recounts that after speaking, the wondrous deity disappears from view; immediately afterward, Mārkaṇḍeya witnesses the diverse multitude of beings (prajāḥ) appearing/being manifested in many forms.