Shloka 9

Tapovana-praveśaḥ — The King’s Entry into the Sacred Grove and Vision of the Āśrama

Devanagari script

जात॑ वृद्ध च धर्मेण सुदीर्घेणायुषान्वितम्‌ । चत्वारो5पि ततो वर्णा बभूवुर््रल्मिणोत्तरा:,राजन्‌! उन सहसों क्षत्राणियोंने ब्राह्मणोंसे गर्भ धारण किया और पुन: क्षत्रियकुलकी वृद्धिके लिये अत्यन्त बलशाली क्षत्रियकुमारों तथा कुमारियोंको जन्म दिया। इस प्रकार तपस्वी ब्राह्मणोंद्वारा क्षत्राणियोंके गर्भसे धर्मपूर्वक क्षत्रिय-संतानकी उत्पत्ति और वृद्धि हुई। वे सब संतानें दीर्घायु होती थीं। तदनन्तर जगतमें पुनः ब्राह्मणप्रधान चारों वर्ण प्रतिष्ठित हुए

Transliteration

jātā vṛddhā ca dharmeṇa sudīrgheṇāyuṣānvitāḥ | catvāro 'pi tato varṇā babhūvur brāhmaṇottarāḥ, rājan |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Sinh ra và lớn mạnh đúng theo dharma, lại được ban cho thọ mạng rất dài, dòng dõi ấy hưng thịnh. Rồi, hỡi Đại vương, cả bốn varṇa lại được thiết lập trong thế gian, với Bà-la-môn giữ địa vị tối thượng.

Word by Word

जाताःborn, produced

वृद्धाःgrown, increased

चand

धर्मेणby/according to dharma

सुदीर्घेणwith very long (duration)

आयुषाwith lifespan

अन्वितम्endowed with

चत्वारःfour

अपिalso, even

ततःthen, thereafter

वर्णाःsocial classes (varnas)

बभूवुःbecame, came to be

ब्राह्मणोत्तराःhaving Brahmins as foremost / Brahmin-dominant

राजन्O king

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

rājan (the King, i.e., Janamejaya as listener)

Brāhmaṇas

Kṣatriyas

the four varṇas

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?

The verse frames social and dynastic restoration as legitimate only when aligned with dharma: progeny and political strength are praised when produced through righteous means, and the stability of society is depicted as the re-establishment of all four varṇas with ethical hierarchy and responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes how, after a disruption in the Kṣatriya line, Kṣatriya women bore children through ascetic Brāhmaṇas; these children were powerful and long-lived, leading to the renewed growth of the Kṣatriyas and the re-establishment of the four varṇas in the world, with Brāhmaṇas again occupying the foremost position.