Shloka 22

धृतराष्ट्रदर्शनाय पाण्डवानां प्रयाणम् | The Pāṇḍavas Prepare to Visit Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Devanagari script

सन्ति देवनिकायाश्न संकल्पाज्जनयन्ति ये । वाचा दृष्ट्या तथा स्पर्शात्‌ संघर्षणेति पठचधा,“बहुत-से ऐसे देवसमुदाय हैं, जो संकल्प, वचन, दृष्टि, स्पर्श तथा समागम--इन पाँचों प्रकारोंसे पुत्र उत्पन्न करते हैं

Transliteration

santi devanīkāyāś ca saṅkalpāj janayanti ye | vācā dṛṣṭyā tathā sparśāt saṅgharṣaṇeti pañcadhā ||

Translation

वैशंपायन म्हणाले—देवांच्या अनेक गणांपैकी काही पाच प्रकारांनी संतती उत्पन्न करतात—संकल्पाने, वचनाने, दृष्टिने, स्पर्शाने आणि समागमाने।

Word by Word

सन्तिare / exist

देव-निकायाःgroups/hosts of gods

सङ्कल्पात्from/through intention (mental resolve)

जनयन्तिbeget / produce

येwho (those who)

वाचाby speech / through utterance

दृष्ट्याby sight / through a look

तथाand likewise / also

स्पर्शात्from/through touch

सङ्घर्षणात्from/through union/contact (rubbing, intercourse)

इतिthus

पञ्चधाin five ways

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

devanīkāyāḥ (classes of gods)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents a cosmological idea: divine beings are not limited to ordinary biological reproduction. Their creative power can operate through mind (intention), speech, sight, touch, or physical union—highlighting graded potency of subtle forces (thought and word) alongside bodily means.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana explains to the listener that many divine hosts have different modes of generating offspring, enumerating five methods. This functions as background doctrine within the Ashramavāsika context, where discussions often broaden from human events to cosmic and ascetic understandings.