Shloka 40

Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)

Devanagari script

इत्येवमुक्त्वा नूपते धनंजयसुतो नृपः । उपस्पृश्याभवत्‌ तूष्णीं प्रायोपेतो महामति:,नरेश्वरर ऐसा कहकर धनंजयकुमार परम बुद्धिमान्‌ राजा बभ्रुवाहन पुन: आचमन करके आमरण उपवासका व्रत लेकर चुपचाप बैठ गया

Transliteration

ity evam uktvā nūpate dhanañjayasuto nṛpaḥ | upaspṛśyābhavat tūṣṇīṃ prāyopeto mahāmatiḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Nachdem er so gesprochen hatte, vollzog der König—Babhruvāhana, der Sohn Dhanaṃjayas (Arjunas)—die Ācamana (das rituelle Schlucken von Wasser) und verstummte dann, indem er den Entschluss zum Prāyopaveśa fasste: Fasten bis zum Tod.

Word by Word

इतिthus

एवम्in this manner

उक्त्वाhaving said

नृपतेO king

धनंजय-सुतःthe son of Dhananjaya (Arjuna)

नृपःthe king

उपस्पृश्यhaving sipped (water), having performed ācamana

अभवत्became / was

तूष्णीम्silently

प्राय-उपेतःhaving undertaken fasting unto death (prāyopaveśa)

महामतिःgreat-minded, very wise

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Babhruvāhana

Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights expiation through self-restraint: when one believes a grave wrong has been committed, dharma may demand humility, purification, silence, and willingness to bear the result—rather than asserting power or offering excuses.

What is happening in the narrative?

After making a decisive statement, King Babhruvāhana (Arjuna’s son) performs a purificatory sipping of water and then sits in silence, undertaking prāyopaveśa—an austere vow to fast until death.