Shloka 16
वारुणी सभा — Varuṇa’s Divine Assembly
Nārada’s Description
स्रग्विणो मौलिनश्वैव तथा दिव्यपरिच्छदा: । सर्वे लब्धवरा: शूरा: सर्वे विगतमृत्यव:
sragviṇo maulinaś caiva tathā divya-paricchadāḥ | sarve labdha-varāḥ śūrāḥ sarve vigata-mṛtyavaḥ | virocanaputro rājā baliḥ pṛthivī-vijayī narakāsuraḥ prahrādaḥ vipracittiḥ kālakhañja-dānavaḥ suhanur durmukhaḥ śaṅkhaḥ sumanāḥ sumatiḥ ghaṭodaraḥ mahāpārśvaḥ krathanaḥ piṭharaḥ viśvarūpaḥ svarūpaḥ virūpaḥ mahāśirāḥ daśamukhaḥ rāvaṇaḥ vālī meghavāsā daśāvaraḥ ṭiṭṭibhaḥ viṭabhūtaḥ saṃhādaś cendra-tāpana-ādayaḥ | ete sarve daitya-dānava-saṃghā manohara-kuṇḍala-sundara-hāra-kirīṭa-divya-vastrābharaṇa-dhāriṇaḥ tasmin sabhāyāṃ dharma-pāśa-dhāriṇaṃ mahātmānaṃ varuṇaṃ sadopāsate |
那罗陀说道：“他们佩花鬘、戴宝冠，身着天衣；个个英勇，且因所赐福愿而皆成不死——毗罗遮那之子巴利王；征服大地的那罗迦阿修罗；般罗诃罗陀；毗钵罗质底；达那婆迦罗迦诃阇；以及苏诃奴、杜尔穆迦、商迦、苏摩那、苏摩提、伽陀陀罗、摩诃波尔湿婆、克罗他那、毗陀罗、毗湿瓦卢波、斯瓦卢波、毗卢波、摩诃尸罗；十面罗婆那；婆梨；梅伽婆娑；达沙婆罗；底底婆；毗陀布陀；三诃陀；因陀罗塔帕那等——这些代底耶与达那婆的众军，饰以可爱耳环、华美项链、宝冠与天界衣饰，在那会堂中恒常礼敬持‘法之绳索’的伟大灵魂——伐楼那。因得福愿，他们勇力具足，远离死亡；其行谊与誓戒，皆被称为至善。”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even those famed as Daityas and Dānavas are portrayed as capable of disciplined vows and reverent worship. The verse links power (boons, valor, even ‘deathlessness’) with accountability to cosmic order, symbolized by Varuṇa and his dharma-noose—suggesting that might is meant to be held within the bounds of dharma.
Nārada is describing the splendor and occupants of the extraordinary assembly hall: a long roster of powerful Daityas and Dānavas, richly adorned and made formidable by boons, are shown continually worshipping Varuṇa, who bears the noose associated with moral and cosmic restraint.