Shloka 9

और्वोपाख्यानम्

Aurva Episode: Restoration of Sight and Restraint of World-Destructive Anger

Devanagari script

विहितं कामचाराणां यक्षगन्धर्वरक्षसाम्‌ । शेषमन्यन्मनुष्याणां कर्मचारेषु वै स्मृतम्‌,“रात्रि प्रारम्भ होनेके पहले जो पश्चिम दिशामें भयंकर संध्याकी लाली छा जाती है, उस समय अस्सी लवको छोड़कर सारा मुहूर्त इच्छानुसार विचरनेवाले यक्षों, गन्धर्वों तथा राक्षसोंके लिये निश्चित बताया जाता है। शेष दिनका सब समय मनुष्योंके कार्यवश विचरनेके लिये माना गया है

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

vihitaṃ kāmacārāṇāṃ yakṣagandharvarakṣasām |

śeṣam anyan manuṣyāṇāṃ karmacāreṣu vai smṛtam |

Translation

ไวศัมปายนะกล่าวว่า ช่วงเวลานั้นถูกกำหนดไว้สำหรับผู้ท่องไปตามใจ—ยักษ์ คนธรรพ์ และรากษส ส่วนเวลาที่เหลือเป็นกาลอันเหมาะแก่มนุษย์ให้สัญจรตามหน้าที่และกิจการของตน

Word by Word

विहितम्prescribed, fixed

कामचाराणाम्of those who move at will

यक्षगन्धर्वरक्षसाम्of Yakṣas, Gandharvas, and Rākṣasas

शेषम्the remaining

अन्यत्other, rest (of it)

मनुष्याणाम्of humans

कर्मचारेषुin (their) movements/going about for work

वैindeed

स्मृतम्is remembered/considered (as)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yakṣas

Gandharvas

Rākṣasas

Humans (manuṣyāḥ)

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 distinguishes spheres of movement by time and nature: certain non-human beings are allotted a specific period for free roaming, while humans are expected to move about primarily in alignment with purposeful work and duty—an affirmation of dharma as regulated conduct within cosmic order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana explains a traditional rule about when different classes of beings are considered to be active: Yakṣas, Gandharvas, and Rākṣasas have an appointed time for unrestricted wandering, whereas the remaining time is regarded as appropriate for humans engaged in their daily tasks.