Shloka 21

Varuṇa’s Bestowal of the Gāṇḍīva and the Arming of Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna

Khāṇḍava Prelude

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच ततस्ता: पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ: सर्वा एव विशाम्पते । तस्माच्छापाददीनात्मा मोक्षयामास वीर्यवान्‌,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं-जनमेजय! तब उदारहृदय पराक्रमी पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ अर्जुनने उन सभी अप्सराओंको उस शापसे मुक्त कर दिया

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | tatastāḥ pāṇḍavaśreṣṭhaḥ sarvā eva viśāmpate | tasmācchāpād adīn ātmā mokṣayāmāsa vīryavān |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Daraufhin, o Herr der Völker, befreite der mächtige Arjuna — der Vornehmste der Pāṇḍavas, von mitleidigem Herzen — all jene Apsaras von jenem Fluch.“

Word by Word

• वैशम्पायनः: Vaiśampāyana
• वैशम्पायनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशम्पायन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• ताः: those (women), them
• ताः: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• पाण्डवश्रेष्ठः: the best of the Pāṇḍavas (Arjuna)
• पाण्डवश्रेष्ठः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव-श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• एव: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• विशाम्पते: O lord of the people (Janamejaya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाम्पति
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• तस्मात्: from that, therefore
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात्

• शापात्: from the curse
• शापात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• दीनात्माः: wretched/sorrowful-souled (women)
• दीनात्माः: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीन-आत्मन्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• मोक्षयामास: released, set free
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच्
• Form: Perfect (periphrastic), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• वीर्यवान्: powerful, valiant
• वीर्यवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वीर्यवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Janamejaya
• Arjuna
• Pāṇḍavas
• Apsarases
• Curse (śāpa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power attains moral worth when guided by compassion: the truly noble hero uses strength to remove others’ suffering and undo unjust bondage, rather than to dominate.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya that Arjuna, the foremost Pāṇḍava, compassionately released all the apsarases from the effects of a curse.