Shloka 5

Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha

Verbal Duel and Omens

Devanagari script

ततो युधिष्छिरं रामो वाक्यमेतदुवाच ह

Transliteration

tato yudhiṣṭhiraṁ rāmo vākyam etad uvāca ha

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Rāma addressed Yudhiṣṭhira with these words—at a decisive moment in counsel amid the moral strain of war, when speech is offered as guidance and restraint rather than mere victory-seeking.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्

• युधिष्ठिरम्: Yudhiṣṭhira (as the one addressed)
• युधिष्ठिरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• रामः: Rāma (Paraśurāma)
• रामः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• वाक्यम्: speech, words
• वाक्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• एतत्: this
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• उवाच: said, spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• ह: indeed (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (निपात)
• Form: अव्ययम्

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Rāma (Balarāma)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames ethical instruction through disciplined speech: in the midst of conflict, guidance is delivered as deliberate counsel to the righteous king, implying that dharma is clarified not only by action but by timely, responsible words.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates a transition: Rāma (commonly Balarāma) turns to Yudhiṣṭhira and begins to speak. The verse functions as an introduction to the counsel or message that follows in the next lines.