Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तमब्रवीत्ततो यन्ता कच्चित्‌ क्षेमं तु पार्षत

Transliteration

tam abravīt tato yantā kaccit kṣemaṃ tu pārṣata

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then the charioteer addressed him, asking, “O son of Pṛṣata, is all well (with you)?”

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अब्रवीत्: said/spoke
• अब्रवीत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रभव अव्यय)

• यन्ता: the charioteer
• यन्ता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यन्तृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कच्चित्: whether indeed? (interrogative particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित्

• क्षेमम्: welfare/safety
• क्षेमम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेम
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तु: indeed/but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• पार्षत: O son of Pṛṣata (Dṛṣṭadyumna)
• पार्षत: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्षत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• yantā (charioteer)
• Pārṣata (son of Pṛṣata)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in the violence of war, the text preserves a moral sensibility: asking after another’s kṣema (safety and well-being) reflects the residual ethic of care and responsibility that should not be extinguished by conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a moment on the battlefield where a charioteer speaks to a warrior addressed as Pārṣata, checking whether he is safe and fit—often a prelude to further action, instruction, or a shift in the combat situation.