Shloka 7

Nāga-āyatana-darśana-pratīkṣā — The Brāhmaṇa’s Request and Waiting on the Gomatī

Devanagari script

सौतिरुवाच तस्मिन्‌ यज्ञे वर्तमाने राज्ञ: पारिक्षितस्य वै

Transliteration

sautir uvāca tasmin yajñe vartamāne rājñaḥ pārīkṣitasya vai, paripapraccha rājendraḥ pitāmaha-pitāmaham |

Translation

Sauti nói: Hỡi Śaunaka, khi lễ tế của vua Janamejaya—hậu duệ của Parīkṣit—đang được cử hành đúng nghi thức, nhà vua giữa muôn nghi lễ bỗng có một khoảng ngơi, liền cung kính thưa hỏi bậc “tổ phụ của tổ phụ” mình: Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana, đại hiền Vyāsa, kho tàng của Veda, như sau.

Word by Word

• सूतिः: the Sauti (Ugraśravas), narrator
• सूतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• यज्ञे: sacrifice
• यज्ञे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• वर्तमाने: while (it) was proceeding
• वर्तमाने: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत्
• Form: Present participle (Śatṛ), Ātmanepada usage, Masculine, Locative, Singular

• राज्ञः: of the king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• पारिक्षितस्य: of Parīkṣit’s (descendant)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पारिक्षित
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• परिपप्रच्छ: asked (in detail)
• परिपप्रच्छ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada, परि

• राजेन्द्रः: the king of kings
• राजेन्द्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजेन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पितामह-पितामहम्: the great-grandfather of (his) grandfathers (most ancient ancestor)
• पितामह-पितामहम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामहपितामह
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sauti (Ugraśravas)
• Śaunaka
• King Janamejaya
• Parīkṣit
• Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa
• Yajña (sacrifice)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds dharmic learning through disciplined inquiry: even a powerful king, amid ritual action, seeks guidance from a venerable authority (Vyāsa). It models humility, respect for lineage and tradition, and the ethical priority of seeking right understanding before acting.

What is happening in the narrative?

During Janamejaya’s ongoing sacrifice, a pause occurs between rites. The king uses this interval to question Vyāsa—his remote ancestor and the revered compiler-sage—setting up the next portion of instruction or narration.