Shloka 20

अध्याय ४ — द्वारकानिमित्तानि, प्रभासगमनम्, मौसलप्रारम्भः

Omens in Dvārakā, Journey to Prabhāsa, and the Musala Outbreak

Devanagari script

मेने ततः संक्रमणस्य कालं॑ ततश्नकारेन्द्रियसंनिरोधम्‌ । तथा च लोकत्रयपालनार्थ- मात्रेयवाक्यप्रतिपालनाय,तत्पश्चात्‌ उन्होंने तीनों लोकोंकी रक्षा तथा दुर्वासाके वचनका पालन करनेके लिये अपने परम धाम पधारनेका उपयुक्त समय प्राप्त हुआ समझा तथा इसी उद्देश्यसे अपनी सम्पूर्ण इन्द्रिय-वृत्तियोंका निरोध किया

Transliteration

mene tataḥ saṅkramaṇasya kālaṃ tataś cakāre indriya-saṃnirodham | tathā ca loka-traya-pālanārthaṃ mātreya-vākya-pratipālanāya ||

Translation

వైశంపాయనుడు పలికెను— అప్పుడు తన పరమధామానికి ప్రస్థానించుటకు తగిన కాలం వచ్చిందని ఆయన గ్రహించాడు. అనంతరం ఆయన ఇంద్రియవృత్తులన్నిటినీ నియమించాడు—త్రిలోక రక్షణార్థమూ, మాత్రేయుడు (దుర్వాసుడు) పలికిన వాక్యాన్ని నిలబెట్టుటకూ.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'mene', 'gloss': 'he thought

• he considered'}, {'term': 'tataḥ', 'gloss': 'then

• thereafter'}, {'term': 'saṅkramaṇasya kālam', 'gloss': 'the time for passing on/departure (from the world)'}, {'term': 'cakāra', 'gloss': 'he did

• he undertook'}, {'term': 'indriya-saṃnirodham', 'gloss': 'restraint/withdrawal of the senses

• control of sense-functions'}, {'term': 'loka-traya', 'gloss': 'the three worlds'}, {'term': 'pālanārtham', 'gloss': 'for the sake of protection/maintenance'}, {'term': 'mātreya', 'gloss': 'descendant of Maitreya

• here, Durvāsā (as Mātreya)'}, {'term': 'vākya', 'gloss': 'word

• utterance'}, {'term': 'pratipālanāya', 'gloss': 'for fulfilling

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• the (unnamed) departing figure (Kṛṣṇa implied by context)
• the three worlds (loka-traya)
• Mātreya (Durvāsā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights ethical steadfastness: recognizing the right time (kāla) and practicing self-restraint (indriya-saṃnirodha) to uphold cosmic responsibility and to honor a sage’s word—showing that dharma includes both inner discipline and fidelity to commitments.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the catastrophic events of the Mausala Parva, the speaker narrates that the central figure (contextually Kṛṣṇa) perceives the moment of departure as having come and withdraws the senses in yogic restraint, with the stated purpose of protecting the three worlds and fulfilling Mātreya/Durvāsā’s pronouncement.