Shloka 16
Vena’s Fall into Adharma and the Prelude to Pṛthu’s Birth
ऋषय ऊचुः । मा वेन साहसं कार्षीःप्रजापालो भवानिह । त्वया सर्वमिदं लोकं त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम्
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | mā vena sāhasaṃ kārṣīḥprajāpālo bhavāniha | tvayā sarvamidaṃ lokaṃ trailokyaṃ sacarācaram
ऋषी म्हणाले—हे वेन, साहस करू नकोस; येथे तू प्रजांचा पालक आहेस. तुझ्याद्वारे हा सर्व लोक—त्रैलोक्य चराचरांसह—रक्षित व्हावा.
The sages (ṛṣayaḥ)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: city
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ऋषय ऊचुः = ऋषयः + ऊचुः; कार्षीःप्रजापालो = कार्षीः + प्रजापालः; भवानिह = भवान् + इह
FAQs
The sages warn Vena not to act impulsively and remind him that his primary duty is prajā-pālana—protecting and sustaining his subjects across the entire realm.
It emphasizes the ruler’s cosmic-scale responsibility: the welfare of all beings in the three worlds, both mobile (living creatures) and immobile (plants, mountains, etc.), is tied to righteous governance.
Authority must be guided by restraint and dharma; rash decisions by leaders endanger not only citizens but the broader moral and social order the king is meant to uphold.