Shloka 336

Devanagari script

यथा बिभेद समयं नमुचेर्वासव: पुरा । वैशम्पायनजीने कहा--जनेश्वर! पूर्वकालमें इन्द्रने नमुचिके साथ अपनी की हुई प्रतिज्ञाको जिस प्रकार तोड़ डाला था, वह सारी कथा जैसे घटित हुई थी, तुम यथार्थरूपसे सुनो

Transliteration

yathā bibheda samayaṃ namucer vāsavaḥ purā |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai penguasa manusia, dengarlah tepat sebagaimana ia terjadi: pada zaman dahulu bagaimana Vāsava (Indra) memungkiri ikrar yang telah dibuatnya kepada Namuci—bagaimana perjanjian itu dilanggar dan apa yang menyusul selepasnya.”

Word by Word

यथाas, just as

बिभेदbroke, violated

समयम्agreement, pledge

नमुचेःof Namuci

वासवःVāsava (Indra)

पुराformerly, once

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Vāsava (Indra)

Namuci

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a moral problem: even powerful rulers may be tempted to evade or reinterpret a vow. By introducing Indra’s breach of a samaya (compact), the narrative invites reflection on the ethical weight of promises and the consequences of compromising truth for expediency.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana signals a forthcoming episode: he will recount an ancient incident in which Indra (Vāsava) had made a pact with the Asura Namuci and later broke it. This serves as a precedent-story (exemplum) to illuminate the present events in the Shalya Parva.