Shloka 246

Devanagari script

दम्भोद्धवो युद्धमिच्छन्नाह्वयत्येव तापसौ । परशुरामजी कहते हैं--भारत! उन दोनों महात्माओंने बारंबार ऐसा कहकर राजासे क्षमा माँगी और उन्हें विविध प्रकारसे सान्त्वना दी। तथापि दम्भोद्धव युद्धकी इच्छासे उन दोनों तापसोंको कहते और ललकारते ही रहे

Transliteration

dambhoddhavo yuddham icchann āhvayaty eva tāpasau |

Translation

Rāma (Paraśurāma) said: Dambhoddhava, driven by a desire for battle, kept challenging and calling out those two ascetics, even as they repeatedly sought the king’s forgiveness and tried to console him in various ways.

Word by Word

• दम्भ-उद्भवः: Dambhodbhava (a person named so)
• दम्भ-उद्भवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दम्भोद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• युद्धम्: battle, war
• युद्धम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• इच्छन्: desiring, wishing
• इच्छन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• आह्वयति: calls, challenges, summons
• Type: Verb
• Root: आह्वा (धातु)
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• एव: indeed, just, only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• तापसौ: the two ascetics
• तापसौ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

Speaker

राम उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Rāma (Paraśurāma)
• Dambhoddhava
• two ascetics (tāpasau)
• the king (rājā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ethical contrast: ascetics embody restraint, apology, and reconciliation, while a pride-driven warrior-mindset seeks escalation. It implicitly commends kṣamā (forgiveness) and śama (self-control) over dambha (arrogant aggression).

What is happening in the narrative?

Paraśurāma narrates that two sages repeatedly asked the king’s pardon and tried to soothe him, yet Dambhoddhava—eager for combat—continued to challenge and provoke them, refusing to let the situation de-escalate.