Shloka 32

Devanagari script

कालदण्डं यमो राजन्‌ गदां चैव धनेश्वर: | पाशांश्व तत्र वरुणो विचित्रां च तथाशनिम्‌,राजन्‌! यमराजने कालदण्ड, कुबेरने गदा तथा वरुणने पाश और विचित्र वज्र हाथमें ले लिये

Transliteration

kāladaṇḍaṃ yamo rājan gadāṃ caiva dhaneśvaraḥ | pāśāṃś ca tatra varuṇo vicitrāṃ ca tathāśanim ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Tâu Đại vương, Yama cầm trượng Thời Gian và Trừng Phạt; Chúa tể tài bảo (Kubera) cầm chùy; còn Varuṇa ở đó nắm những thòng lọng của mình, cùng một lôi khí kỳ diệu.”

Word by Word

कालदण्डम्the staff of Time (death-staff)

यमःYama

राजन्O king

गदाम्a mace

चand

एवindeed/also

धनेश्वरःthe lord of wealth (Kubera)

पाशान्nooses

चand

तत्रthere

वरुणःVaruṇa

विचित्राम्variegated/wondrous

चand

तथाlikewise/also

अशनिम्thunderbolt

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Yama

Kubera (Dhaneśvara)

Varuṇa

kāladaṇḍa (staff of Time/punishment)

gadā (mace)

pāśa (noose)

aśani (thunderbolt)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That dharma is upheld through defined cosmic roles: each guardian deity bears a specific emblem of authority—punishment, restraint, or force—signifying that moral order is maintained by appropriate means, not arbitrary power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana describes deities preparing themselves by taking up their characteristic weapons—Yama his kāladaṇḍa, Kubera his mace, and Varuṇa his nooses and a wondrous thunderbolt—indicating readiness to act in a consequential situation.