Shloka 10

यमसभावर्णनम् (Yamasabhā-varṇanam) — Nārada’s Description of Dharmarāja’s Assembly

Devanagari script

प्रतर्दन: शिबिर्मत्स्य:ः पृथुलाक्षो बृहद्रथ: । वार्तो मरुत्त: कुशिक: सांकाश्य: सांकृतिर्धुव

Transliteration

pratardanaḥ śibir matsyaḥ pṛthulākṣo bṛhadrathaḥ | vārto maruttaḥ kuśikaḥ sāṅkāśyaḥ sāṅkṛtir dhruvaḥ ||

Translation

Nārada berkata: “Pratardana, Śibi, Matsya, Pṛthulākṣa, Bṛhadratha, Vārta, Marutta, Kuśika, Sāṅkāśya, Sāṅkṛti, dan Dhruva—mereka ini antara raja-raja yang termasyhur.”

Word by Word

प्रतर्दनःPratardana (proper name)

शिबिःŚibi (proper name)

मत्स्यःMatsya (proper name / king of Matsya)

पृथुलाक्षःbroad-eyed (one having large eyes)

बृहद्रथःBṛhadratha (proper name; lit. 'having a great chariot')

वार्तःVārta (proper name)

मरुत्तःMarutta (proper name)

कुशिकःKuśika (proper name)

सांकाश्यःSāṅkāśya (proper name / one from Sāṅkāśya)

सांकृतिःSāṅkṛti (proper name; descendant of Saṅkṛti)

ध्रुवःDhruva (proper name; also 'steadfast')

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

न

नारद (Nārada)

प

प्रतर्दन (Pratardana)

श

शिबि (Śibi)

म

मत्स्य (Matsya)

प

पृथुलाक्ष (Pṛthulākṣa)

ब

बृहद्रथ (Bṛhadratha)

व

वार्त (Vārta)

म

मरुत्त (Marutta)

क

कुशिक (Kuśika)

स

सांकाश्य (Sāṅkāśya)

स

सांकृति (Sāṅkṛti)

ध

ध्रुव (Dhruva)

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?

By invoking a remembered roster of renowned kings, the passage underscores that political authority is judged against inherited standards of dharma—fame and legitimacy arise from exemplary conduct, not merely power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is speaking in the royal assembly and recites a sequence of notable royal names, functioning as a formal catalog that situates the ongoing discussion within the broader tradition of celebrated rulers and lineages.