Mahabharata · 1.208.14–15
॥
Devanāgarī
नार्य् उवाच
अप्सरास्मि महाबाहो देवारण्यविचारिणी ॥
इष्टा धनपतेर् नित्यं वर्गा नाम महाबल ॥
मम सख्यश् चतस्रो ऽन्याः सर्वाः कामगमाः शुभाः ॥
ताभिः सार्धं प्रयातास्मि लोकपालनिवेशनम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
nāry uvāca
apsarāsmi mahābāho devāraṇyavicāriṇī ||
iṣṭā dhanapater nityaṃ vargā nāma mahābala ||
mama sakhyaś catasro 'nyāḥ sarvāḥ kāmagamāḥ śubhāḥ ||
tābhiḥ sārdhaṃ prayātāsmi lokapālaniveśanam ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अप्सरा अस्मि महाबाहो देवारण्यविचारिणीapsarā asmi mahābāho devāraṇyavicāriṇī"I am an apsara, O mighty-armed one, wandering through the forest of the gods,
इष्टा धनपतेः नित्यं वर्गा नाम महाबलiṣṭā dhanapateḥ nityaṃ vargā nāma mahābalaever dear to the Lord of Wealth [Kubera], named Varga, O mighty one;
मम सख्यः चतस्रः अन्याः सर्वाः कामगमाः शुभाःmama sakhyaḥ catasraḥ anyāḥ sarvāḥ kāmagamāḥ śubhāḥand I have four other companions, all going as they wish, gracious;
ताभिः सार्धं प्रयाता अस्मि लोकपालनिवेशनम्tābhiḥ sārdhaṃ prayātā asmi lokapālaniveśanamtogether with them I was journeying to the dwelling of Lokapala;
नार्य्nāryoriginal form "nāry", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अप्सरास्मिapsarāsmioriginal form "apsarāsmi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धनपतेर्dhanapateroriginal form "dhanapater", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सख्यश्sakhyaśoriginal form "sakhyaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चतस्रोcatasrooriginal form "catasro", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽन्याः'nyāḥoriginal form "'nyāḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रयातास्मिprayātāsmioriginal form "prayātāsmi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
The apsara said: "I am an apsara, O mighty-armed one, wandering through the forest of the gods, ever dear to the Lord of Wealth, named Varga, O mighty one; and I have four other companions, all going as they wish, gracious; together with them I was journeying to the dwelling of Lokapala."
Version
ccf48e187008 · published Jul 12, 2026, 6:01:16 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here a maiden of heaven tells of her former exalted lot. It is significant that the apsara, Kubera's favorite, fell to the form of a crocodile: even a celestial is not safe from a fall, having sinned. Sin brings low even from the heights above. Thus the scripture reveals the greatness of her former station; and all the more instructive will be its loss.