Shloka 26

Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: Abhaya, Anugraha, and the Ethics of Honoring the Worthy (दानश्रेष्ठता: अभय-अनुग्रह-विप्रपूजा)

Devanagari script

यत्‌ ते वने5स्मिन्‌ नृपते दृष्टं दिव्यं निदर्शनम्‌

Transliteration

yat te vane 'smin nṛpate dṛṣṭaṃ divyaṃ nidarśanam | nareśvara rājan asmin vane tvaṃ yo divyo dṛśyo dṛṣṭavān sa svargasyaikā jhāṅkā āsīt | nṛpaśreṣṭha bhūpāla tvam ātmanaḥ patnyā saha asminn eva śarīreṇa kiñcit kālaṃ svargīya-sukham anubhūtavān asi ||

Translation

చ్యవనుడు అన్నాడు—రాజా, నరేశ్వరా! ఈ అరణ్యంలో నీవు చూచిన ఆ అద్భుత దివ్య దృశ్యములు స్వర్గానికి కేవలం ఒక జాడ మాత్రమే. నృపశ్రేష్ఠా, నీ రాణితో కూడ, ఇదే శరీరములో నీవు కొద్దిసేపు స్వర్గీయ సుఖాన్ని అనుభవించితివి. దీనిని సంకేతముగా గ్రహించుము—పుణ్యఫలము అనుభవించబడగలదు; కాని ధర్మములో స్థిరపడకపోతే అది క్షణికమే.

Word by Word

• यत्: which/that (thing)
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• ते: to you/your
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: —, Dative/Genitive, Singular

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• नृपते: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपति
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• दृष्टम्: seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• दिव्यम्: divine
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• निदर्शनम्: vision/sight, manifestation
• निदर्शनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: निदर्शन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• नरेश्वर: O lord of men
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

च्यवन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Cyavana (च्यवन)
• King (नृपति/नरेश्वर/राजन्)
• Queen (पत्नी/रानी)
• Forest (वन)
• Heaven (स्वर्ग)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores that extraordinary pleasures and visions—like a glimpse of heaven—can arise as fruits of merit, but they are temporary. A ruler should not cling to such experiences; instead, he should ground his life in dharma, which alone gives lasting welfare beyond momentary delight.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sage Cyavana addresses a king who has witnessed a divine spectacle in a forest. Cyavana explains that what the king saw was a preview of heaven, and that the king, along with his queen, briefly experienced heavenly happiness while still embodied.