Shloka 15

Adhyāya 32: Tāpasānāṃ Darśanaṃ — Ascetics Seek to Identify the Pāṇḍavas

Devanagari script

केचिच्च वारुणं लोक॑ केचित्‌ कौबेरमाप्रुवन्‌ | ततो वैवस्वतं लोकं केचिच्चैवाप्रुवन्नपा:

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: kecic ca Vāruṇaṃ lokaṃ kecit Kauberam āpruvan | tato Vaivasvataṃ lokaṃ kecic caivāpruvann apāḥ ||

Translation

毗舍摩波耶那说：有的去了伐楼那之界，有的得至俱毗罗之界；其后又有的抵达毗婆斯伐多（阎摩）之界。于是，当诸王在人间的行程既尽，便依其业报，往生于种种天界住处。

Word by Word

• केचित्: some (people)
• केचित्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क- (किम्-प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• वारुणम्: Varuṇa’s
• वारुणम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वारुण (वरुण-सम्बन्धि)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• लोकम्: world/realm
• लोकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• केचित्: some (people)
• केचित्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क- (किम्-प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कौबेरम्: Kubera’s
• कौबेरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कौबेर (कुबेर-सम्बन्धि)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आप्नुवन्: reached/attained
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), Third, Plural

• ततः: then/thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• वैवस्वतम्: Vivasvat’s (Sūrya’s) / of Vaivasvata
• वैवस्वतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैवस्वत (विवस्वत्-सम्बन्धि)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• लोकम्: world/realm
• लोकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• केचित्: some (people)
• केचित्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क- (किम्-प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• आप्नुवन्: reached/attained
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), Third, Plural

• नपाः: descendants/sons (epithet: offspring)
• नपाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नपात् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Varuṇa
• Kubera
• Vaivasvata (Yama)
• loka (realm/world)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores karmic plurality: beings do not all reach a single posthumous destination; rather, their conduct and accumulated merit/demerit lead them to different realms governed by cosmic deities (Varuṇa, Kubera, Yama).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the aftermath of the great events and the passing of many rulers, the narrator describes how various kings depart from the human world and attain different divine or otherworldly realms—some to Varuṇa’s, some to Kubera’s, and some to Vaivasvata (Yama).