Shloka 123

Prajñā as Pratiṣṭhā — Indra–Kāśyapa Saṃvāda (Śānti-parva 12.173)

Devanagari script

त्वरमाण: परं शक्‍्त्या गौतमग्रहणाय वै । बुद्धिमान्‌ राक्षसराजका पुत्र राजधर्माकी यह दशा देखकर रो पड़ा और उसने पूरी शक्ति लगाकर गौतमको शीघ्र पकड़नेकी चेष्टा की

Transliteration

tvaramāṇaḥ paraṃ śaktyā gautamagrahaṇāya vai | buddhimān rākṣasarājakā putra rājadharmākī yaḥ daśā dekhakara ro paṛā aura usane pūrī śakti lagākara gautamako śīghra pakaṛane-kī ceṣṭā kī |

Translation

Bhishma said: “Hastening with all his might to seize Gautama, the wise son of the king of the Rakshasas—seeing the pitiable condition of Rajadharma—broke into tears and then exerted his full strength to capture Gautama quickly.”

Word by Word

• त्वरमाणः: hastening, being in a hurry
• त्वरमाणः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वर् (धातु)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त)

• परम्: utmost, highest (effort)
• परम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• शक्त्या: with power/strength
• शक्त्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• गौतम-ग्रहणाय: for the seizing/capturing of Gautama
• गौतम-ग्रहणाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रहण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Dative, Singular

• वै: indeed, surely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (निपात)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Gautama
• Rākṣasa-rāja (king of the Rakshasas)
• Rākṣasarājakā putra (son of the Rakshasa king)
• Rājadharma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse juxtaposes urgency and force with compassion: even when compelled to act decisively (seizing Gautama), a discerning person is moved by the suffering caused to dharma (here, Rajadharma’s plight). It highlights ethical tension—power must be exercised with awareness of its human and moral cost.

What is happening in the narrative?

A wise son of the Rakshasa king, seeing Rajadharma’s miserable condition, weeps and then urgently applies his full strength to capture the sage Gautama quickly.