Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तस्य वाहयत: कालो मुनिमुख्यांस्तपो धनान्‌ । अहंकाराभिभूतस्य सुमहानभ्यवर्तत,वे अहंकारसे अभिभूत होकर क्रमश: सभी श्रेष्ठ तपस्वी मुनियोंको अपने रथमें जोतने लगे। ऐसा करते हुए राजाका दीर्घकाल व्यतीत हो गया

Transliteration

tasya vāhayataḥ kālo munimukhyāṁs tapodhanān | ahaṅkārābhibhūtasya sumahān abhyavartata ||

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: Während er sie weiter antreiben ließ, verging für jenen König — vom Stolz überwältigt — eine überaus lange Zeit, indem er die vornehmsten Weisen, reich an Askese, an seinen Wagen spannte.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• वाहयतः: while (he) was making (them) draw / yoking
• वाहयतः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह् (णिच्: वाहय-)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• कालः: time
• कालः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मुनिमुख्यान्: the foremost sages
• मुनिमुख्यान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनिमुख्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तपोधनान्: those rich in austerity (ascetics)
• तपोधनान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपोधन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अहंकाराभिभूतस्य: of (him) overcome by ego
• अहंकाराभिभूतस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अहंकाराभिभूत
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• सुमहान्: very great
• सुमहान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमहत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अभ्यवर्तत: passed by / elapsed
• अभ्यवर्तत: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (अभि + आ + वृत्)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• a king (unnamed in this verse)
• foremost sages (munimukhyāḥ)
• ascetic sages rich in tapas (tapodhanāḥ)
• chariot (implied by 'yoking' and 'driving')

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Pride (ahaṅkāra) can blind a ruler into committing grave adharma—such as humiliating and exploiting the spiritually eminent—and, when not corrected, such misconduct can continue for a long time, deepening moral downfall.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes a king, overcome by ego, repeatedly yoking the foremost ascetic sages to his chariot and driving them; as he persists in this act, a very long period of time passes.