Shloka 8

नारदकथितं माधव्याः तपश्चर्या–ययातेः स्वर्गविचारः | Nārada on Mādhavī’s Asceticism and the Scrutiny of Yayāti in Heaven

Devanagari script

अपराण्यपि चत्वारि शतानि द्विजसत्तम | नीयमानानि संतारे हृतान्यासन्‌ वितस्तया,'द्विजश्रेष्ठ! मार्गमें एक जगह नदीको पार करना पड़ा। इन छ: सौ घोड़ोंके साथ चार सौ और थे। नदी पार करनेके लिये ले जाये जाते समय वे चार सौ घोड़े वितस्ता (झेलम)- की प्रखर धारामें बह गये

Transliteration

aparāṇy api catvāri śatāni dvijasattama | nīyamānāni saṃtāre hṛtāny āsan vitastayā ||

Translation

Nārada nói: “Hỡi bậc tối thượng trong hàng nhị sinh, trên đường đi có một chỗ phải vượt sông. Ngoài sáu trăm con ngựa ấy, còn có thêm bốn trăm con nữa. Khi đang đưa qua bến, bốn trăm con ấy bị dòng nước dữ của sông Vitastā cuốn trôi.”

Word by Word

अपराणिother (additional) ones

अपिalso/even

चत्वारिfour

शतानिhundreds

द्विजसत्तमO best of the twice-born (brahmin)

नीयमानानिbeing led/taken

संतारेat the crossing (ford/passage)

हृतानिcarried away/snatched away

आसन्were

वितस्तयाby the Vitastā (Jhelum river)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

dvijasattama (addressed brāhmaṇa)

Vitastā (Jhelum river)

horses

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even carefully planned undertakings can be undone by uncontrollable forces; the passage underscores the fragility of worldly resources and the need for prudence and humility when pursuing power or preparing for conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada recounts a logistical setback during a journey: while crossing the Vitastā at a ford, four hundred additional horses—beyond an earlier count of six hundred—are swept away by the river’s strong current.