Shloka 9

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

Khāṇḍava Prelude

Devanagari script

यदा च वो ग्राहभूता गृह्नन्ती: पुरुषाउ्जले । उत्कर्षति जलात्‌ तस्मात्‌ स्थलं पुरुषसत्तम:,जब जलनमें ग्राह बनकर लोगोंको पकड़नेवाली तुम सब अप्सराओंको कोई श्रेष्ठ पुरुष जलसे बाहर स्थलपर खींच लायेगा, उस समय तुम सब लोग फिर अपना दिव्य रूप प्राप्त कर लोगी। मैंने पहले कभी हँसीमें भी झूठ नहीं कहा है

Transliteration

yadā ca vo grāhabhūtā gṛhṇantyaḥ puruṣān jale | utkarṣati jalāt tasmāt sthalaṁ puruṣasattamaḥ ||

Translation

Wenn ihr, zu krokodilgleichen Wesen geworden, die Männer im Wasser packt, dann wird—zu eben jener Zeit—ein Mann von höchster Vortrefflichkeit euch aus dem Wasser heraus auf trockenes Land ziehen. Mit dieser Befreiung werdet ihr eure göttlichen Gestalten wiedererlangen. Und wisst: Ich habe niemals Unwahrheit gesprochen, nicht einmal im Scherz—darum ist diese Zusicherung verlässlich.

Word by Word

• {'yadā': 'when', 'ca': 'and', 'vaḥ (vo)': 'of you

• to you (plural)', 'grāha-bhūtāḥ': 'having become grāhas (crocodiles/seizers)

• transformed into crocodile-like beings', 'gṛhṇantyaḥ': 'seizing, grasping (feminine plural participle)', 'puruṣān': 'men, persons (accusative plural)', 'jale': 'in water (locative)', 'utkarṣati': 'pulls up, drags out, lifts up', 'jalāt': 'from the water (ablative)', 'tasmāt': 'from that

• then/thereupon', 'sthalam': 'dry ground, land', 'puruṣa-sattamaḥ': 'the best of men

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (a Brahmin speaker)
• अप्सराः (Apsarases, implied by the Hindi gloss)
• ग्राह (crocodile/seizer)
• जल (water)
• स्थल (dry land)
• पुरुषसत्तम (a best-of-men deliverer, unnamed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights satya (truthfulness) as an ethical anchor: the Brahmin’s promise is credible because he claims never to lie, even in jest. It also frames suffering and transformation as temporary, with redemption arriving through a worthy agent and the right moment.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Brahmin foretells that certain beings—described as having become grāhas who seize people in the water—will be freed when an excellent man pulls them out onto land. This act of rescue will restore their divine nature, and the Brahmin underscores the reliability of this prophecy by asserting his unwavering truthfulness.