Shloka 31

Devanagari script

ततः स प्रणत: शक्रश्नकार च्यवनस्य तत्‌

Transliteration

tataḥ sa praṇataḥ śakraḥ śrutvā cyavanasya tat | indro mahāmuni-cyavanasya caraṇayoḥ praṇamya tasyājñāṃ pratijagrāha | tataś cyavano 'śvinīkumārābhyāṃ somarasya bhāgaṃ dattavān yajñaṃ ca samāpayām āsa | anantaraṃ śaktimān munir dyūta-mṛgayā-madya-strīṣu madaṃ vibhajya dadau |

Translation

Nghe lời Cyavana, Śakra (Indra) liền cúi mình phủ phục dưới chân vị đại hiền và thuận theo mệnh lệnh của ngài. Rồi Cyavana ban cho đôi Aśvin quyền được hưởng phần Soma trong lễ tế và kết thúc đàn tế của mình. Sau đó, vị hiền giả đầy uy lực được nói là đã phân chia “mada” — cơn say mê làm mê muội tâm trí — vào bốn ngả: cờ bạc, săn bắn, rượu men, và sự đắm nhiễm nơi đàn bà.

Word by Word

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

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रणतः: having bowed, prostrated
• प्रणतः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-नम् (धातु) → प्रणत (कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च्यवनस्य: of Cyavana (the sage)
• च्यवनस्य: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: च्यवन
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• तत्: that (command/word)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

च्यवन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• च्यवन (Cyavana)
• इन्द्र / शक्र (Indra/Śakra)
• अश्विनीकुमार (Aśvin twins)
• सोमरस (Soma-juice)
• यज्ञ (sacrifice)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights two ethical points: (1) even the powerful must yield to righteousness and legitimate authority (Indra accepts the sage’s command), and (2) human downfall often arises through specific, socially visible avenues—gambling, hunting as obsession, intoxicants, and uncontrolled sexual infatuation—so restraint and discernment are essential to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Indra, having heard Cyavana, bows and agrees to his instruction. Cyavana then ensures the Aśvin twins receive a share of Soma in the sacrifice and concludes the rite. The text then adds a moral-psychological note: the sage ‘distributes’ mada (deluding intoxication) into four common pursuits—dice, hunting, liquor, and obsession with women—indicating where heedlessness tends to manifest.