Shloka 9

अश्वशिरो-आख्यानम्

Aśvaśiras / Hayaśiras Narrative: Retrieval of the Vedas

Devanagari script

कृते युगे महाराज पुरा स्वायम्भुवे<न्तरे । नरो नारायणश्चैव हरि: कृष्ण: स्वयम्भुव:

Transliteration

kṛte yuge mahārāja purā svāyambhuve ’ntare | naro nārāyaṇaś caiva hariḥ kṛṣṇaḥ svayambhuvaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Tâu đại vương, vào thời Kṛta Yuga (Satya Yuga) thuở xa xưa, trong Svāyambhuva Manvantara, Đấng Tự Sinh đã hiển lộ bốn hóa thân lừng danh—Nara, Nārāyaṇa, Hari và Kṛṣṇa. Điều ấy gợi lại sự xuất hiện nguyên sơ của các thân thể thần linh để dựng lập và hộ trì dharma.”

Word by Word

• कृते: in the Kṛta (Satya) age
• कृते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत (युग-विशेषे)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• युगे: in the age
• युगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• पुरा: formerly, in ancient times
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा

• स्वायम्भुवे: in the Svāyambhuva (Manu-period)
• स्वायम्भुवे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वायम्भुव
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• अन्तरे: in the interval/period (i.e., manvantara)
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• नरः: Nara
• नरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नारायणः: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed, also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• हरिः: Hari
• हरिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कृष्णः: Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्वयम्भुवः: Svayambhū (self-existent; epithet/name)
• स्वयम्भुवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वयम्भुव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Mahārāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Kṛta Yuga (Satya Yuga)
• Svāyambhuva Manvantara
• Nara
• Nārāyaṇa
• Hari
• Kṛṣṇa
• Svayambhū (the Self-born Lord)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse situates dharma within cosmic history: in the earliest age (Kṛta Yuga) the Self-born Lord is remembered as manifesting in revered forms (Nara, Nārāyaṇa, Hari, Kṛṣṇa), implying that divine presence and guidance underpin the establishment and safeguarding of righteousness across epochs.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in the Śānti Parva, recalls an ancient time-frame (Svāyambhuva Manvantara in Kṛta Yuga) and names four divine manifestations, setting up a broader discourse on sacred history, virtue, and the Lord’s role in sustaining order.