Shloka 16

Devanagari script

जग्ध्वा मांसानि पीत्वा च मेदांसि रुधिराणि च । युक्त: परमया प्रीत्या तावुवाचाच्युतार्जुनी,जीव-जन्तुओंके मांस खाकर उनके मेद तथा रक्त पीकर अत्यन्त प्रसन्न हो अग्निने श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनसे कहा--

Transliteration

jagdhvā māṁsāni pītvā ca medāṁsi rudhirāṇi ca | yuktaḥ paramayā prītyā tāv uvāca acyutārjunī ||

Translation

Having consumed the flesh of living creatures and drunk their fat and blood, Agni—filled with intense satisfaction—addressed the pair, Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa) and Arjuna.

Word by Word

• जग्ध्वा: having eaten
• Type: Verb
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि, पूर्वकाल

• मांसानि: fleshes/meats
• मांसानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• पीत्वा: having drunk
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि, पूर्वकाल

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)

• मेदांसि: fat (tissues)
• मेदांसि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेदस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• रुधिराणि: bloods/blood
• रुधिराणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुधिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)

• युक्तः: endowed/filled (with)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युक्त (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from युज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• परमया: with supreme
• परमया: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• प्रीत्या: joy/delight
• प्रीत्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• तौ: those two (them)
• तौ: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, द्विवचन

• उवाच: said/spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथम, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अच्युत: Acyuta (Krishna)
• अच्युत: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अर्जुनम्: Arjuna
• अर्जुनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Agni
• Kṛṣṇa (Acyuta)
• Arjuna
• living beings (jīva-jantu)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights Agni’s consuming, transformative power and the sacrificial logic that ‘feeding’ fire leads to divine satisfaction and subsequent favor. Ethically, it presents a deliberate tension: divine purposes in epic narrative can involve violent imagery, prompting reflection on how dharma is negotiated amid cosmic and ritual demands.

What is happening in the narrative?

After being ‘sated’ by consuming flesh, fat, and blood (a vivid way of describing fire’s complete consumption of living beings), Agni becomes extremely pleased and then speaks to Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, setting up a request, boon, or further instruction in the surrounding episode.