Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, Shloka 83

राजपूजाविधानम् / Royal Reception Protocols during Āśvamedha Preparations

Devanagari script

प्रद्युम्न इव गोविन्द विनयेनोपतस्थिवान्‌ । इसी प्रकार वह भूपाल प्रद्युम्नकी भाँति विनीत भावसे शंख-चक्र-गदाधारी भगवान्‌ श्रीकृष्णकी सेवामें उपस्थित हुआ

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | pradyumna iva govinda vinayenopatasthivān |

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说道：那位国王以谦恭自持趋近戈文达，如同普拉丢姆那一般，侍立其前——恭敬地呈身于手持海螺、神轮与钉锤的圣克里希那（Śrī Kṛṣṇa）之前。此景昭示伦理之旨：真正的王者之相，不唯凭权势，更在于礼度的克制与对正法之主的虔诚奉事。

Word by Word

• प्रद्युम्नः: Pradyumna
• प्रद्युम्नः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रद्युम्न
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• गोविन्द: O Govinda
• गोविन्द: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोविन्द
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• विनयेन: with humility/modesty
• विनयेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विनय
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• उपतस्थिवान्: stood near/attended upon (came to serve)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-स्था
• Form: Periphrastic perfect (लिट्-अर्थे परस्मैपदी भावः; कृदन्त-रूपम्), Perfect (completed action), Third, Singular, Masculine, Nominative

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pradyumna
• Govinda (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• King (bhūpāla, implied in the narrative)
• Śaṅkha (conch)
• Cakra (discus)
• Gadā (mace)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights vinaya (humble discipline) as a mark of dharmic character: even a king should approach the righteous Lord with reverence and service-mindedness, modeling ethical restraint rather than pride.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes a king coming before Govinda (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) and standing in attendance with humility, compared to Pradyumna’s respectful manner toward Kṛṣṇa.