Shloka 19

Adhyāya 223: Nāradasya Guṇa-kathana

Catalogue of Nārada’s Virtues

Devanagari script

यत्‌ ते सहस्रसमिता ननुृतुर्देवयोषित:

Transliteration

śakra uvāca | yat te sahasra-samitā nanṛtur deva-yoṣitaḥ, katham adya tadā caiva manas te dānaveśvara |

Translation

โอ้จอมแห่งทานวะ! เมื่อเหล่านางฟ้าแห่งสวรรค์นับพันร่ายรำต่อหน้าท่านในที่ประชุมใหญ่ ๆ ครั้งนั้นจิตของท่านเป็นเช่นไร—และบัดนี้เป็นเช่นไร?

Word by Word

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

• ते: of you/your
• ते: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• सहस्र-समिताः: numbering a thousand / in thousands
• सहस्र-समिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्रसमित
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• ननृतुः: they danced
• ननृतुः: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: नृत्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• देव-योषितः: celestial women (apsarases)
• देव-योषितः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवयोषित्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Prashna
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

• अद्य: today/now
• अद्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य

• तदा: then/at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

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

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• मनः: mind
• मनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• दानव-ईश्वर: O lord of the Dānavas
• दानव-ईश्वर: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानवेश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

शक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Dānaveśvara (lord of the Dānavas)
• Deva-yoṣitaḥ (celestial women/apsarases)
• Padma-mālā (lotus garlands, implied by the Hindi gloss)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse probes the contrast between outward prosperity and the inner condition of the mind, highlighting an ethical reflection central to Śānti Parva: pleasure, power, and sensory delight are unstable, so one should examine whether the mind was truly satisfied then and what has changed now—pointing toward detachment and self-knowledge.

What is happening in the narrative?

Indra (Śakra) addresses a Dānava king and recalls his former period of royal enjoyment, when thousands of celestial dancers performed before him. Indra asks a pointed question about the Dānava’s mental state in that time of abundance versus his present condition, setting up a reflective dialogue on desire, change, and inner peace.