Shloka 16

मयेन सभानिर्माणम्

Maya’s Construction of the Assembly Hall

Devanagari script

यत्रेष्टं वासुदेवेन सत्रैर्वर्षणणान्‌ बहून्‌ । श्रद्दधानेन सततं धर्मसम्प्रतिपत्तये,यह वही स्थान है, जहाँ भगवान्‌ वासुदेवने धर्मपरम्पराकी रक्षाके लिये बहुत वर्षोतक निरंतर श्रद्धापूर्वक यज्ञ किया था

Transliteration

yatreṣṭaṃ vāsudevena satrair varṣaśatān bahūn | śraddadhānena satataṃ dharma-sampratipattaye ||

Translation

正是在那同一处地方，往昔婆苏提婆（Vāsudeva）曾连绵不断、以坚定信心行持祭会之祭（satra-yajña）达数百年之久，为使正法（dharma）的正知与确立得以保障。

Word by Word

यत्रwhere

इष्टम्sacrifice; worship (that which is performed)

वासुदेवेनby Vāsudeva

सत्रैःwith satra-sacrifices (sessional rites)

वर्षाणिyears

बहून्many

श्रद्दधानेनwith faith; being faithful

सततम्constantly

धर्मdharma; righteousness

सम्प्रतिपत्तयेfor the attainment/establishment

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is upheld not merely by power but by sustained, faith-filled practice—here symbolized by Vāsudeva’s long sacrificial observances undertaken for the preservation and right establishment of moral order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana identifies a particular location by recalling its sanctity: it is the place where Vāsudeva once performed prolonged satra-sacrifices for many years, emphasizing the site’s association with the maintenance of dharma.