Shloka 28

नारायणीयमाख्यानम् (Nārāyaṇīyam Ākhyānam) — Nārada’s Return and Hymnic Consolidation

Devanagari script

ततो मन्दाकिनीतीरे क्रीडन्तो5प्सरसां गणा:

Transliteration

tato mandākinītīre krīḍanto 'psarasāṃ gaṇāḥ

Translation

پھر منداکنی کے کنارے اپسراؤں کے گروہ کھیل رہے تھے—آسمانی آسودگی اور دل فریبی کا ایسا منظر جو دل کو موہ لیتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable)

• मन्दाकिनी-तीरे: on the bank of (the river) Mandākinī
• मन्दाकिनी-तीरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर (प्रातिपदिक); मन्दाकिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• क्रीडन्तः: playing, sporting
• क्रीडन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), प्रथमा, बहुवचन, पुल्लिङ्ग

• अप्सरसाम्: of the Apsarases (celestial nymphs)
• अप्सरसाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• गणाः: groups, troops
• गणाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Mandākinī
• Apsaras

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse evokes the presence of celestial pleasures (Apsarases at play) to highlight how attractive experiences can arise before a seeker; in a dharma-oriented context, it implicitly cautions that fascination with enjoyment can distract from steadiness, restraint, and higher aims.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes a scene by the Mandākinī river where groups of Apsarases are playing, setting a vivid backdrop that often functions in epic narration as an atmosphere of enchantment or a potential test of self-control.