Shloka 20

मागधगिरिव्रजप्रवेशः — Entry into Girivraja and Jarāsandha’s Protocol Inquiry

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच अथ दीर्घस्य कालस्य तपोवनचरो नृपः । सभार्य: स्वर्गमगमत्‌ तपस्तप्त्वा बृहद्रथ:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर दीर्घकालतक तपोवनमें रहकर तपस्या करते हुए महाराज बृहद्रथ अपनी पत्नियोंके साथ स्वर्गवासी हो गये

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: atha dīrghasya kālasya tapovanacaro nṛpaḥ | sabhāryaḥ svargam agamat tapastaptvā bṛhadrathaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana disse: Depois de muito tempo, o rei Bṛhadratha—vivendo num eremitério na floresta e praticando austeridades—partiu para o céu juntamente com suas esposas.

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

अथthen

दीर्घस्यof long (duration)

कालस्यof time

तपोवनचरःdwelling/roaming in the penance-grove (hermitage forest)

नृपःthe king

सभार्यःtogether with (his) wives

स्वर्गम्to heaven

अगमत्went

तपःausterity, penance

तप्त्वाhaving performed (austerity)

बृहद्रथःBṛhadratha

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Janamejaya

Bṛhadratha

Bṛhadratha's wives

Tapovana

Svarga

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 highlights the dharmic arc of life: after sustained discipline and withdrawal from worldly life into tapas, one attains higher realms. It presents ascetic practice and orderly renunciation as ethically valued, even for kings.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana tells Janamejaya that King Bṛhadratha lived for a long time in a forest of austerities, performed tapas, and then departed to heaven along with his wives.