Shloka 10

Bhīmasena’s Capture by the Serpent and Nahūṣa’s Self-Disclosure (भीमसेन-भुजङ्गग्रहणं नहुषोपाख्यानप्रस्तावः)

Devanagari script

न वेदा: प्रतिभान्ति सम द्विजातीनां कथंचन अन्तर्भूमिगता ये च प्राणिनो जनमेजय,द्विजातियोंको किसी प्रकार भी वेदोंका भान नहीं हो पाता था। जनमेजय! भूमिके भीतर जो प्राणी निवास करते थे, वे भी पीड़ित हो उठे और अर्जुनको सब ओरसे घेरकर खड़े हो गये। उन सबके मुखपर विकृति आ गयी थी। वे हाथ जोड़े हुए थर-थर काँप रहे थे और अस्त्रोंके तेजसे संतप्त हो धनंजयसे प्राणोंकी भिक्षा माँग रहे थे। इसी समय ब्रह्मर्षि, सिद्ध महर्षि, समस्त जंगम प्राणी, श्रेष्ठ देवर्षि, देवता, यक्ष, राक्षस, गन्धर्व, पक्षी तथा आकाशचारी प्राणी सभी वहाँ आकर उपस्थित हो गये

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | na vedāḥ pratibhānti sma dvijātīnāṃ kathaṃcana antarbhūmigatā ye ca prāṇino janamejaya |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O Janamejaya, the Vedas no longer shone forth in the awareness of the twice-born in any way; and the living beings who dwelt beneath the earth were also afflicted.” The passage marks a moment of cosmic disturbance: when sacred knowledge fails to illumine the minds of the learned and even subterranean creatures suffer, it is a sign that the balance of dharma has been shaken and that extraordinary forces are at work in the world.

Word by Word

नnot

वेदाःthe Vedas

प्रतिभान्तिappear, become manifest

समम्equally, alike

द्विजातीनाम्of the twice-born (Brahmins etc.)

कथंचनin any way, somehow (at all)

अन्तर्भूमिगताःgone inside the earth; subterranean

येwho, those who

चand

प्राणिनःliving beings

जनमेजयO Janamejaya

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Janamejaya

Vedas

Dvijāti (twice-born)

Antarbhūmigata prāṇin (subterranean beings)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When Vedic insight fails to illumine even the learned and suffering spreads to all classes of beings, the text signals a rupture in dharmic order; such moments demand restraint, discernment, and restoration of balance rather than unchecked force.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports to King Janamejaya that a severe disturbance has arisen: the twice-born cannot access Vedic clarity, and subterranean creatures are distressed—an ominous prelude to extraordinary events and the gathering of many beings (as the surrounding passage continues).