Shloka 28

Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon

Devanagari script

श्रेयस्तव विधास्यामि बल॑ तेजश्च सुव्रत

Transliteration

śreyas tava vidhāsyāmi balaṁ tejaś ca suvrata | uttama-vrata-pālanakaraṇevāle putra! ahaṁ tvāṁ kalyāṇaṁ kariṣyāmi ca tava antar teja evaṁ bala-vṛddhiṁ karomi | tvaṁ mattaḥ sātvata-nāmakaṁ dharmaṁ gṛhāṇa, tena ca vidhivat satyayugasya sṛṣṭiṁ kṛtvā tasya pratiṣṭhāṁ kuru ||

Translation

Вайшампаяна сказал: «Я устрою для тебя высшее благо, о стойкий в обетах. Сын мой, блюдущий наивысшую дисциплину, я дарую тебе благополучие и непрестанно буду умножать в тебе силу и сияние. Прими от меня дхарму, именуемую Сатвата (Sātvata); ею сотвори Сатья-югу (Крита-югу) по установленному порядку и утверди её прочно».

Word by Word

• श्रेयः: welfare, good
• श्रेयः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तव: of you, your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• विधास्यामि: I shall arrange/bring about
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा (वि + धा)
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), First, Singular, Parasmaipada

• बलम्: strength
• बलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तेजः: splendor, energy
• तेजः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तेजस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सुव्रत: O one of good vows
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-व्रत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• putra (addressed son/recipient)
• Sātvata-dharma
• Satya-yuga

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True welfare (śreyas) is achieved through disciplined acceptance of dharma: the speaker promises inner strength and radiance, but ties it to receiving and practicing the Sātvata-dharma and using it to establish an order modeled on Satya-yuga—an ethical ideal of truth, proper conduct, and stability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports a blessing and instruction addressed to a ‘son’ or disciple: the elder assures the recipient of protection and empowerment (bala, tejas), then commands him to adopt the Sātvata-dharma and, by proper procedure (vidhivat), to ‘create’ and ‘establish’ the conditions of Satya-yuga—i.e., to restore righteous order in the world.