Mahabharata 1.140.65 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 140, Shloka 65

Hiḍimba’s Approach and Hiḍimbā’s Warning to Bhīmasena (हिडिम्बागमनम् / हिडिम्बा-भयवचनम्)

Devanagari script

चत्वरेषु च कूपेषु पर्वतेषु वनेषु च । समवायेषु सर्वेषु सरित्सु च विचारयेत्‌

Transliteration

catvareṣu ca kūpeṣu parvateṣu vaneṣu ca | samavāyeṣu sarveṣu saritsu ca vicārayet |

Translation

Kaṇika sagte: „Er soll seine geheimen Kundschafter ständig umherziehen lassen—an Kreuzungen und Brunnen, in Bergen und Wäldern, bei jeder Art öffentlicher Zusammenkunft und entlang der Flüsse—damit fortwährend Kunde aus allen Orten gesammelt wird, wo Menschen vorbeikommen, einander begegnen oder sich versammeln.“

Word by Word

• चत्वरेषु: in squares/crossings
• चत्वरेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: चत्वर
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• कूपेषु: in wells
• कूपेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूप
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• पर्वतेषु: on/in mountains
• पर्वतेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• वनेषु: in forests
• वनेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• समवायेषु: in gatherings/assemblies
• समवायेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समवाय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• सर्वेषु: in all
• सर्वेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• सरित्सु: in rivers
• सरित्सु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित्
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• विचारयेत्: should cause to move about / should deploy (spies) / should have them roam
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + चर्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

कणिक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kaṇika
• crossroads/public squares
• wells
• mountains
• forests
• assemblies/gatherings
• rivers

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should maintain continuous situational awareness by deploying trusted agents to circulate in all common meeting-places and transit points, ensuring timely knowledge of public mood and emerging threats.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kaṇika is giving counsel on governance and security, recommending systematic intelligence collection by sending spies through varied public and remote locations where information can be observed or overheard.