Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तदेतददभुतं ब्रह्मज्छा्डकाणामनामयम्‌ | कीर्तयस्वाग्निसम्मर्दे कथं ते न विनाशिता:

Transliteration

tad etad adbhutaṁ brahma śāṇḍakānām anāmayam | kīrtayasva agni-sammarde kathaṁ te na vināśitāḥ ||

Translation

Janamejaya said: “O Brahman, this is truly wondrous—that the Śāṇḍakas remained unharmed. Please recount how, amid the crushing turmoil of that great fire, they were not destroyed.”

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: neuter, nominative/accusative, singular

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: neuter, nominative/accusative, singular

• अद्भुतम्: wonderful, astonishing
• अद्भुतम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत
• Form: neuter, nominative/accusative, singular

• ब्रह्मज्छाण्डकाणाम्: of the Brahma-born Śāṇḍakas (a group/people)
• ब्रह्मज्छाण्डकाणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मज्छाण्डक
• Form: masculine, genitive, plural

• अनामयम्: safe, unharmed, free from illness
• अनामयम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनामय
• Form: neuter, nominative/accusative, singular

• कीर्तयस्व: tell, relate, proclaim
• कीर्तयस्व: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कीर्तय् (√कीर्त्/√कीर्तय्, causative of √कीर्त्)
• Form: imperative, 2nd, singular, parasmaipada

• अग्निसम्मर्दे: in the conflagration / in the fire-ordeal
• अग्निसम्मर्दे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्निसम्मर्द
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

• कथम्: how
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• विनाशिताः: destroyed
• विनाशिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनाशित (PPP of वि-√नश्)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• ब्रह्म: O Brahman! (O sage/priest!)
• ब्रह्म: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: neuter, vocative, singular

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• Brahman (addressed sage/priest)
• Śāṇḍakas
• Agni (fire)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights awe at unexpected preservation in calamity and frames an ethical inquiry: when destruction seems inevitable, one should seek the underlying causes—merit, protection, or rightful conduct—through careful narration and reflection.

What is happening in the narrative?

King Janamejaya addresses a Brahman narrator and asks him to explain how the Śāṇḍakas managed to remain safe and unharmed during a terrifying conflagration, requesting a detailed account of their escape from destruction.