Shloka 125

कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः

Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma

Devanagari script

ततस्तमेव शरणं गतो<5स्मि विधिवत्‌ तदा । वरेण्यं वरदं देव॑ं मनसा कर्मणैव च,युधिष्ठिर! मैं निरन्तर दौड़ लगाता और चिन्तामें पड़ा रहता था। महाराज! जब बहुत वर्षोतक भ्रमण करनेपर भी उस महात्माके शरीरका अन्त नहीं मिला, तब मैंने मन, वाणी और क्रियाद्वारा उन वरदायक एवं वरेण्य देवताकी ही विधिपूर्वक शरण ली

Transliteration

tatastam eva śaraṇaṃ gato 'smi vidhivat tadā | vareṇyaṃ varadaṃ devaṃ manasā karmaṇaiva ca ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Noon, ayon sa wastong ritwal, ako’y sumilong at nagpasakop sa mismong diyos na iyon—karapat-dapat piliin at tagapagkaloob ng mga biyaya—hinanap ko Siya sa isip at sa aking mga gawa. O Yudhiṣṭhira, walang tigil akong nagmamadali at nababalisa; at nang kahit matapos ang maraming taon ng paglalagalag ay hindi ko pa rin matagpuan ang hangganan ng katawan ng dakilang kaluluwang iyon, saka ako sumuko at nagkanlong nang wasto sa kagalang-galang na diyos na nagbibigay ng mga pagpapala.”

Word by Word

• {'tatas': 'then, thereafter', 'tam eva': 'that very (one), precisely him', 'śaraṇam': 'refuge, protection', 'gataḥ asmi': 'I have gone (to), I have resorted to', 'vidhivat': 'according to rule

• duly, in proper manner', 'tadā': 'at that time', 'vareṇyam': 'worthy to be chosen

• most excellent, venerable', 'varadam': 'giver of boons', 'devam': 'god, deity', 'manasā': 'with the mind

• mentally', 'karmaṇā': 'by action

• through deeds', 'eva': 'indeed, precisely', 'ca': 'and', 'yudhiṣṭhira': 'Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed vocatively)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• deva (unnamed deity)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When human effort and prolonged searching reach their limit, one should turn—duly and wholeheartedly—to a worthy refuge. The verse emphasizes disciplined surrender (vidhivat) and inner-outer alignment: seeking with mind and with action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports that after long, anxious wandering and failing to find the end or outcome connected with a great being’s body, he formally takes refuge in a boon-giving, venerable deity, addressing Yudhiṣṭhira as the listener.