Shloka 19

गदायुद्ध-समारम्भः

Commencement of the Mace-Duel Proceedings

Devanagari script

हेमदण्डथरो राजन्‌ कमण्डलुधरस्तथा । कच्छपीं सुखशब्दां तां गृह्द वीणां मनोरमाम्‌

Transliteration

hemadaṇḍadharo rājan kamaṇḍaludharas tathā | kacchapīṃ sukhaśabdāṃ tāṃ gṛhītvā vīṇāṃ manoramām ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Tâu Đại vương, đại ẩn sĩ Nārada hiện đến, tay cầm gậy vàng và bình nước (kamaṇḍalu); lại còn ôm cây vīṇā tuyệt mỹ tên Kacchapī, âm thanh êm tai.” Cảnh ấy làm nổi bật uy nghi của bậc hiền triết: khổ hạnh tinh thần và nhạc khí thiêng liêng cùng báo hiệu lời khuyên nhằm làm vững lòng người giữa cơn biến động của chiến tranh.

Word by Word

• हेमदण्डधरः: bearing a golden staff
• हेमदण्डधरः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेमदण्डधर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कमण्डलुधरः: bearing a water-pot (kamandalu)
• कमण्डलुधरः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कमण्डलुधर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: also/likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• कच्छपीम्: the lute named Kacchapī
• कच्छपीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कच्छपी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• सुखशब्दाम्: sweet-sounding
• सुखशब्दाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुखशब्दा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• ताम्: that (her/it)
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• गृह्य: having taken
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• वीणाम्: a vīṇā (lute)
• वीणाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीणा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• मनोरमाम्: charming/beautiful
• मनोरमाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनोरमा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Nārada
• King (rājan)
• hemadaṇḍa (golden staff)
• kamaṇḍalu
• Kacchapī vīṇā

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral and spiritual authority of a rishi: Nārada’s ascetic emblems (kamaṇḍalu, staff) and his sacred music (vīṇā) signify guidance rooted in tapas and dharma—meant to calm, instruct, and reorient conduct even in a war-driven setting.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes Nārada’s appearance before the king: he arrives as a great ascetic carrying a golden staff and water-pot, and holding the melodious vīṇā named Kacchapī—an introduction that typically precedes counsel, prophecy, or ethical instruction.