Shloka 39

Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)

Devanagari script

वयं सृष्टा हि भगवंस्त्वया च प्रभविष्णुना । येन यस्मिन्नधीकारे वर्तितव्यं पितामह,(और इस प्रकार बोले--) “भगवन्‌! पितामह! आप महान्‌ प्रभावशाली हैं। आपने ही हमलोगोंकी सृष्टि की है। हममेंसे जिसको जिस अधिकार या कार्यमें प्रवृत्त होना है तथा आपके द्वारा जिस अर्थसाधक अधिकारका निर्देश किया गया है, उसका पालन अहंकारयुक्त कतकि द्वारा कैसे हो सकता है?

Transliteration

vaiṁ sṛṣṭā hi bhagavaṁs tvayā ca prabhaviṣṇunā | yena yasminn adhikāre vartitavyaṁ pitāmaha ||

Translation

ते म्हणाले—“भगवन्! पितामह! आपण महाप्रभावशाली आहात; आपणच आम्हां सर्वांची सृष्टी केली आहे. आम्हांपैकी प्रत्येकाला आपण जो अधिकार व कर्तव्य नेमून दिले आहे, त्या अर्थसाधक धर्माचे पालन अहंकारयुक्त हट्टाने कसे होईल?”

Word by Word

वयम्we

सृष्टाःcreated

हिindeed/for

भगवन्O Lord

त्वयाby you

चand

प्रभविष्णुनाby (you) the mighty/efficacious one

येनby whom/with which

यस्मिन्in which/wherein

अधीकारेin the office/authority/duty

वर्तितव्यम्is to be engaged/should be conducted

पितामहO Grandfather (Pitāmaha)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pitāmaha

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes that duties (adhikāra) are divinely/authoritatively assigned according to one’s role, and that true observance of such duty should be grounded in humility and alignment with ordained order—not in ego, pride, or stubborn self-will.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports a respectful address to the ‘Grandsire’ (Pitāmaha), acknowledging him as the powerful creator/ordainer who has allotted each being a proper domain of action. The speakers question how anyone could rightly fulfill that assigned duty if driven by arrogance.