Shloka 11

Devanagari script

राजानस्तस्य ये ह्वासन्‌ याज्या राजन्‌ महात्मन:

Transliteration

rājānas tasya ye hy āsan yājyā rājan mahātmanaḥ

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O king, those rulers who were his rightful recipients of sacrificial honor—noble and great-souled—(were present/concerned in this matter).”

Word by Word

• राजानः: kings
• राजानः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• ये: who/which
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ह: indeed/for emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह

• आसन्: were
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Imperfect, 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• याज्याः: fit to be sacrificed for / eligible to be offered (in sacrifice)
• याज्याः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: याज्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• महात्मनः: O great-souled one
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• rājānaḥ (kings/rulers)
• rājan (the king addressed—Janamejaya by frame context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic hierarchy and propriety: certain persons—especially righteous kings and elders—are ‘yājya’, i.e., entitled to formal honor. Ethical conduct in society includes recognizing who deserves respect and ritual precedence.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration to the king, he refers to a group of rulers connected with ‘him’ (the person under discussion) as being present/recognized as worthy of sacrificial honor, setting the social and moral frame for the events being described.