Shloka 12

Devanagari script

उवाच भरतश्रेष्ठ प्रसीदेति पुन: पुनः । क्षमस्व राजन यत्र प्रोक्त धर्मकामेन भीरुणा,“महाराज! तब अर्जुन लज्जित हो धर्मराजके चरणोंमें गिरकर मस्तक नवाकर उन भरतश्रेष्ठ नरेशसे बारंबार बोले--“राजन्‌! प्रसन्न होइये, प्रसन्न होइये। मैंने धर्मपालनकी इच्छासे भयभीत होकर जो अनुचित वचन कहा है, उसके लिये क्षमा कीजिये'

Transliteration

uvāca bharataśreṣṭha prasīdeti punaḥ punaḥ | kṣamasva rājan yatra proktaṃ dharmakāmena bhīruṇā ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Addressing the best of the Bharatas, he pleaded again and again, “Be gracious, be gracious, O King. Forgive me for the improper words I spoke—spoken in fear, yet driven by the desire to uphold dharma.”

Word by Word

• {'uvāca': 'said, spoke', 'bharataśreṣṭha': 'best of the Bharatas

• an honorific for a foremost Kuru king', 'prasīda / prasīdeti': 'be pleased

• be pacified', 'punaḥ punaḥ': 'again and again

• repeatedly', 'kṣamasva': 'forgive (imperative, 2nd person singular)', 'rājan': 'O king (vocative)', 'yatra': 'wherein

• for which (i.e., the matter in which)', 'proktam': 'spoken

• uttered', 'dharma-kāma': 'desiring dharma

• intent on righteousness/duty', 'bhīru': 'fearful

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• bharataśreṣṭha (honorific addressee, i.e., the Kuru king)
• rājan (the king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when one believes one is acting for dharma, fear can lead to harsh or improper speech; ethical conduct requires acknowledging fault, showing humility, and seeking forgiveness from the rightful authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates a moment of reconciliation: a speaker addresses a Kuru king with repeated pleas for calm and pardon, admitting that earlier words were improper—spoken out of fear though motivated by concern for dharma.