Shloka 12

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच एवं ब्रुवति राजेन्द्रे कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिर: । अन्वशासत्‌ स संयोगं समये मत्स्यपार्थयो:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! महाराज विराटके ऐसा कहनेपर कुन्तीनन्दन युधिष्ठिने उचित अवसर जान मत्स्यनरेश और पार्थके इस सम्बन्धका अनुमोदन किया

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca evaṃ bruvati rājendre kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | anvāśāsat sa saṃyogaṃ samaye matsyapārthayoḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Als König Virāṭa so geredet hatte, erkannte Yudhiṣṭhira, der Sohn Kuntīs, den rechten Augenblick und gab seine Zustimmung und Weisung zu dem vorgeschlagenen Bündnis zwischen dem Matsya-König und Pārtha (Arjuna).

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

एवम्thus

ब्रुवतिwhile (he) was speaking / when (he) said

राजेन्द्रेin/with the lord of kings (the king)

कुन्तीपुत्रःKuntī's son

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

अन्वशासत्approved / sanctioned / directed

सःhe

संयोगम्union / alliance / connection

समयेat the proper time / on the occasion

मत्स्यपार्थयोःof Matsya and Pārtha (Arjuna)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Janamejaya

Virāṭa

Yudhiṣṭhira

Kuntī

Matsya (kingdom/people)

Pārtha (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 dharmic prudence: a leader should recognize the right time (samaya) and then give clear, legitimate sanction (anvāśāsana) to alliances, ensuring social and political bonds are formed with propriety rather than impulse.

What is happening in the narrative?

After King Virāṭa speaks, Yudhiṣṭhira—acting as the wise counselor among the Pāṇḍavas—formally approves and guides the arrangement of an alliance/connection between Virāṭa of Matsya and Pārtha (Arjuna), aligning the parties at an opportune moment.