Shloka 21

Āśrama-dharma and Brahmacarya: Śuka’s Inquiry on Karma and Tyāga (शुक-प्रश्नः कर्मत्यागविवेकश्च)

Devanagari script

दिव्यमष्टशलाकं तु सौवर्ण परमर्द्धिमत्‌ । छत्र॑ देवावृधो दत्त्वा सराष्ट्रो5भ्यपतद्‌ दिवम्‌

Transliteration

divyam aṣṭaśalākaṃ tu sauvarṇaṃ paramarddhimat | chatraṃ devāvṛdho dattvā sarāṣṭro 'bhyapatad divam ||

Translation

Vyāsa nói: Vua Devāvṛdha, sau khi hiến tặng một chiếc lọng lộng lẫy bằng vàng, vô cùng quý giá, có tám nan, đã lên cõi trời cùng với vương quốc của mình (tức cùng cả thần dân trong cõi trị vì). Bài kệ nhấn mạnh sức mạnh của dāna: lễ vật của bậc quân vương, nếu dâng bằng chính đạo, trở thành nguyên nhân của số phận cao quý sau khi chết, và phúc lợi ấy còn lan đến những người được ngài che chở.

Word by Word

• दिव्यम्: divine, celestial
• दिव्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अष्ट-शलाकम्: having eight ribs/spokes (eight slats)
• अष्ट-शलाकम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टशलाक
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तु: but, indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• सौवर्णम्: made of gold
• सौवर्णम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौवर्ण
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• परम-ऋद्धिमत्: possessing supreme wealth/splendour; very precious
• परम-ऋद्धिमत्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परमृद्धिमत्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• छत्रम्: umbrella, royal parasol
• छत्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: छत्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• देवावृधः: Devāvṛdha (proper name)
• देवावृधः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवावृध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दत्त्वा: having given
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• स-राष्ट्रः: together with (his) kingdom/realm
• स-राष्ट्रः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अभ्यपतत्: flew up, went (swiftly) towards
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• दिवम्: heaven, the sky
• दिवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Devāvṛdha
• divam (heaven)
• chatra (royal parasol/umbrella)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Righteous giving (dāna), especially of valuable and symbolically significant gifts, generates great merit (puṇya) leading to heavenly attainment; the king’s dharmic conduct is portrayed as benefiting not only himself but also his realm/people.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa narrates an exemplum: King Devāvṛdha donates a magnificent golden parasol with eight ribs, and as a result he ascends to heaven ‘with his kingdom,’ indicating the expansive, protective scope of a king’s merit when he practices dharma through generosity.