Shloka 12

गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel

Devanagari script

क्रियाभ्युपायैर्निहती मया राजन्‌ पुरातनौ

Transliteration

kriyābhyupāyair nihatī mayā rājan purātanau

Translation

Vāyu sprach: „O König, durch entschlossenes Handeln und strategische Maßnahmen habe ich einst jene beiden Uralten zu Fall gebracht.“

Word by Word

• क्रियाभ्युपायैः: by actions and means (strategies)
• क्रियाभ्युपायैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रिया + अभ्युपाय
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• निहता: slain/killed
• निहता: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-हन् (हन्) धातु
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Instrumental, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• पुरातनौ: the two ancient/old (ones)
• पुरातनौ: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरातन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वायुदेव (Vāyu)
• राजन् (the King, addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power and outcomes are not merely matters of force; they also depend on well-chosen means (upāya) and timely action (kriyā). The line highlights responsibility in employing strategy—implying that effective action, when aligned with rightful purpose, can decisively shape events.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu addresses a king and recalls a past deed: through specific actions and methods, he caused the downfall of “two ancient ones.” The verse functions as a brief testimony of divine intervention and strategic efficacy within the larger war-time discourse of the Śalya Parva.