Shloka 24

Droṇa–Vidura–Gāndhārī Counsel in the Royal Assembly (धर्मार्थयुक्ता सभा-उपदेश-प्रकरणम्)

Devanagari script

ततो रामेण समरे द्वन्द्ययुद्धमुपागमम्‌ । स हि रामभयादेभिननागिरैरविप्रवासित:

Transliteration

tato rāmeṇa samare dvandvayuddham upāgamam | sa hi rāmabhayād ebhiḥ nāgikaiḥ aviprāvāsitaḥ ||

Translation

„Dann betrat ich auf dem Schlachtfeld den Zweikampf mit Rāma (Paraśurāma). Denn in jenen Tagen hatten die Bürger dieses Ortes aus Furcht vor Rāma König Vichitravīrya aus der Stadt vertrieben und ins Exil geschickt.“

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya

• रामेण: by Rama (Parashurama)
• रामेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• द्वन्द्व-युद्धम्: a duel (single combat)
• द्वन्द्व-युद्धम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वन्द्व + युद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उपागमम्: I approached/entered
• उपागमम्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-गम् (धातु: गम्)
• Form: Aorist (लुङ्), 1st person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed, for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि
• Form: Avyaya

• राम-भयात्: from fear of Rama
• राम-भयात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम + भय
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• एभिः: by these
• एभिः: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• नागिरैः: by the citizens
• नागिरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अविप्रवासितः: was made to go away / was exiled
• अविप्रवासितः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अवि-प्र-वासि-त (कृदन्त; धातु: वस्/वास् 'to dwell' with causative sense via प्र-वासयति)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular (past passive participle)

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva
• Rāma (Paraśurāma)
• Vicitravīrya
• citizens (nāgikāḥ)
• battlefield (samara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how fear can destabilize dharmic governance: when a community acts from panic before a powerful figure, it may abandon loyalty to rightful authority and commit ethically fraught acts like expelling a king.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva recounts that he engaged Paraśurāma in a duel on the battlefield, and notes that at that time the local citizens, frightened of Paraśurāma, had forced King Vicitravīrya to leave the city.