Shloka 20

Vasiṣṭhasya śokaḥ, Vipāśā–Śatadrū-nāmākaraṇam, Kalmāṣapādasya bhaya-prasaṅgaḥ (Ādi Parva 167)

Devanagari script

त॑ं वै गच्छस्व नृपते स त्वां संयाजयिष्यति । जुगुप्समानो नृपतिर्मनसेदं विचिन्तयन्‌,“राजन! तुम उन्हींके पास जाओ। वे तुम्हारा यज्ञ करा देंगे।” राजा ट्रपद उपयाजकी बात सुनकर याजके इस चरित्रकी मन-ही-मन निन्दा करने लगे, तो भी अपने कार्यका विचार करके याजके आश्रमपर गये और पूजनीय याज मुनिका पूजन करके तब उनसे इस प्रकार बोले---

Transliteration

taṁ vai gacchasva nṛpate sa tvāṁ saṁyājayiṣyati | jugupsamāno nṛpatir manasedaṁ vicintayan |

Translation

Der Brahmane sprach: „Geh zu ihm, o König; er wird dein Opfer nach der Vorschrift vollziehen.“ Als König Drupada diesen Rat vernahm, war er innerlich zwar abgestoßen und tadelte das Gebaren des Priesters, doch erwog er sein Vorhaben und begab sich zur Einsiedelei des Opferpriesters. Nachdem er den ehrwürdigen Weisen Yāja mit gebührender Verehrung geehrt hatte, redete er ihn wie folgt an.

Word by Word

• {'taṁ': 'him

• that person (accusative singular)', 'vai': 'indeed

• surely (emphatic particle)', 'gacchasva': 'go (2nd person singular, imperative, middle)', 'nṛpate': 'O king (vocative of nṛpati)', 'saḥ': 'he', 'tvām': 'you (accusative singular)', 'saṁyājayiṣyati': 'will cause (you) to perform a sacrifice

• will officiate and conduct the sacrifice properly (causative future of √yaj)', 'jugupsamānaḥ': 'feeling disgust/repugnance

• condemning inwardly (present participle of √gup in desiderative/denominative sense as used here)', 'nṛpatiḥ': 'the king', 'manasā': 'in the mind

• mentally (instrumental singular)', 'idam': 'this', 'vicintayan': 'reflecting

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (Brahmin speaker)
• नृपति / राजा (the king; identified in the prose context as Drupada)
• याज मुनि (Sage Yāja, the officiating priest)
• आश्रम (hermitage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights ethical tension: even when one feels moral revulsion toward another’s conduct, one may still act pragmatically for a larger objective—yet the narrative frames this as an inner conflict that invites reflection on righteous means (dharma) in pursuing desired ends.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Brahmin advises the king to approach a particular priest who can conduct his sacrifice. The king, though inwardly disapproving, goes to the sage Yāja’s hermitage, honors him, and prepares to speak—setting up the next exchange about arranging the sacrifice.