Shloka 16

Devanagari script

भीमसेन उवाच ये पुरा विचरन्तीह पुरुषा वशवर्तिन: । तस्यास्ते वचन श्रुत्वा हनूणा विहरन्त्वतः,भीमसेन बोले--देवि! जो पुरुष तुम्हारी आज्ञाके अधीन होकर यहाँ पहलेसे विचर रहे हैं, वे तुम्हारी यह बात सुनकर प्रतिज्ञासे उऋण हो इच्छानुसार विहार करें

Transliteration

bhīmasena uvāca ye purā vicarantīha puruṣā vaśavartinaḥ | tasyās te vacanaṃ śrutvā hanūṇā viharantu ataḥ ||

Translation

ভীমসেনে ক’লে— “দেৱি! যিসকল পুৰুষ আগৰে পৰা ইয়াত তোমাৰ আজ্ঞাধীন হৈ বিচৰণ কৰি আছে, তেওঁলোকে তোমাৰ এই বাক্য শুনি প্ৰতিজ্ঞাৰ পৰা মুক্ত হওক আৰু ইচ্ছামতে বিচৰণ কৰক।”

Word by Word

भीमसेनःBhimasena

उवाचsaid

येwho (those who)

पुराformerly, earlier

विचरन्तिwander, move about

इहhere

पुरुषाःmen, persons

वशवर्तिनःobedient, under control

तस्याःof her

तेthey

वचनम्word, statement

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

हनूणाwith (their) jaw; by the jaw

विहरन्तुlet them sport/roam

अतःtherefore; hence

Speaker

भीमसेन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīmasena

Devī (addressed lady/goddess)

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?

Authority should be exercised with restraint: once a rightful command is fulfilled or a promise is satisfied, people should be released from binding obligations and allowed autonomy, reflecting fairness and dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīma addresses a revered lady as ‘Devī’ and requests that men who have been acting under her orders be freed from their pledged duty, so they may move about according to their own will.