Shloka 18

वसिष्ठ-प्रशंसा

Vasiṣṭha as Purohita: Ascetic Mastery and Royal Counsel

Devanagari script

प्रापयिष्याम्यहं तस्मा अन्नमेतद्‌ दुरात्मने । मन्निमित्तं भयं चापि न कार्यमिति चाब्रवीत्‌,“ब्रह्म! आज मैं स्वयं ही उस दुरात्मा राक्षसके लिये भोजन ले जाऊँगा।' उन्होंने यह भी बताया कि “आपको मेरे लिये भय नहीं करना चाहिये”

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | prāpayiṣyāmy ahaṃ tasmā annam etad durātmane | man-nimittaṃ bhayaṃ cāpi na kāryam iti cābravīt ||

Translation

قال فايشَمبايانا: «أنا بنفسي سأحمل هذا الطعام إلى ذلك الخبيث. ولا ينبغي لكم أن تخافوا عليّ»، هكذا أعلن—متقبّلًا العبء وحده، وداعيًا الآخرين إلى طرح القلق جانبًا.

Word by Word

प्रापयिष्यामिI will deliver / take (to someone)

अहम्I

तस्मैto him

अन्नम्food

एतत्this

दुरात्मनेto the wicked one

मत्-निमित्तम्because of me / on my account

भयम्fear

चand

अपिalso / even

नnot

कार्यम्ought to be done / necessary

इतिthus / saying

चand

अब्रवीत्said / spoke

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

durātmā (a wicked being, likely a rākṣasa in context)

annam (food/meal)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should take responsibility upon oneself to protect others from fear and harm, acting with courage and steadiness even when confronting a wicked adversary.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker states that he will personally deliver the food to a wicked being (implied to be a rākṣasa in the surrounding story) and reassures others that they should not fear for his sake.