Shloka 26

बभ्रुवाहन-धनंजययोः संग्रामः

Babhruvāhana and Dhanaṃjaya’s engagement at Maṇipūra

Devanagari script

प्राह किं करवाणीति सा च त॑ प्रत्युवाच ह । धनुष त्यागकर कुन्तीकुमारने विधिपूर्वक बहिनका सत्कार किया और पूछा--“बहिन! बताओ, मैं तुम्हारा कौन-सा कार्य करूँ?” तब दुःशलाने उत्तर दिया-- ।। एष ते भरतमश्रेष्ठ स्वस्नीयस्यात्मज: शिशु:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | prāha kiṁ karavāṇīti sā ca taṁ pratyuvāca ha | eṣa te bharataśreṣṭha svasnīyasyātmajaḥ śiśuḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: He asked, “What shall I do?” And she replied to him: “O best of the Bharatas, this is the infant son of your sister’s son.”

Word by Word

प्राहsaid

किम्what

करवाणिshould I do

इतिthus

साshe

चand

तम्him

प्रत्युवाचreplied

हindeed/for emphasis

एषःthis (one)

तेto you/for you

भरतमश्रेष्ठO best of the Bharatas

स्वस्नीयस्यof (your) sister's (son) / of the sisterly relation

आत्मजःson

शिशुःchild

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bharata lineage (addressed as Bharataśreṣṭha)

Infant child (śiśu)

Sister’s son (svasnīya) and his son (ātmaja)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds dharma expressed as familial responsibility: when asked how he may help, the reply points to an infant relative, implying that protecting and supporting vulnerable kin is a primary ethical duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

A man respectfully asks what service he can render; the woman answers by identifying an infant as the son of his sister’s son, setting up a request or obligation centered on caring for that child.