Mahabharata 1.175.22 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 175, Shloka 22

पाण्डवानां पाञ्चालगमनम्

The Pāṇḍavas’ Journey toward Pāñcāla and News of the Svayaṃvara

Devanagari script

हंसचन्द्रप्रतीकाशां नन्दिनीं तां जहार गाम्‌ । कशादण्डप्रणुदितां काल्यमानामितस्तत:

Transliteration

haṃsacandrapratīkāśāṃ nandinīṃ tāṃ jahāra gām | kaśādaṇḍapraṇuditāṃ kālyamānām itastataḥ ||

Translation

Der Gandharva sprach: „O Pārtha, trotz Vasiṣṭhas Worten riss Viśvāmitra jene Kuh Nandinī mit Gewalt an sich, strahlend weiß wie Schwan und Mond. Mit Peitschen und Stöcken angetrieben, wurde sie geschlagen und hierhin und dorthin getrieben.“

Word by Word

• हंसचन्द्रप्रतीकाशाम्: having the appearance (whiteness) of a swan and the moon
• हंसचन्द्रप्रतीकाशाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हंस-चन्द्र-प्रतीकाशा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• नन्दिनीम्: Nandinī (the cow)
• नन्दिनीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दिनी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• ताम्: her/that (cow)
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• जहार: carried off/abducted
• जहार: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• गाम्: the cow
• गाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• कशादण्डप्रणुदिताम्: driven on (prodded) with whips and sticks
• कशादण्डप्रणुदिताम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कशा-दण्ड-प्रणुदिता
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular, Past passive participle (kta), प्र-नुद्

• काल्यमानाम्: being driven/forced along
• काल्यमानाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काल्यमान
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular, Present passive participle (śāna), कल्/काल् (to drive/impel)

• इतस्: from here/this side
• इतस्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इतस्

• ततः: from there/that side; thence
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

Speaker

गन्धर्व उवाच

Characters & Entities

• गन्धर्व (Gandharva narrator)
• अर्जुन (Arjuna)
• वसिष्ठ (Vasiṣṭha)
• विश्वामित्र (Viśvāmitra)
• नन्दिनी (Nandinī cow)
• गौः (cow)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ethical breach: using force and cruelty to seize what is not rightfully one’s own. It contrasts dharmic restraint and respect for a sage’s sacred possession with the misuse of royal power driven by desire.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Gandharva narrates to Arjuna that Viśvāmitra, ignoring Vasiṣṭha’s counsel, abducts Vasiṣṭha’s cow Nandinī. The cow is beaten and driven about with whips and sticks as she is taken away.