Shloka 12

Dvaītavana: Brahmaghoṣa, Rṣi-saṅgha, and Baka Dālbhyā’s Upadeśa to Yudhiṣṭhira

Devanagari script

यदपश्यं सभायां त्वां राजभि: परिवारितम्‌ | तच्च राजन्नपश्यन्त्या: का शान्तिह॑ंदयस्य मे,राजन! मैं इन्द्रप्रस्थकी सभामें आपको राजाओंसे घिरा हुआ देख चुकी हूँ, अत: आज वैसी अवस्थामें आपको न देखकर मेरे हृदयको क्या शान्ति मिल सकती है?

Transliteration

yad apaśyaṁ sabhāyāṁ tvāṁ rājabhiḥ parivāritam | tac ca rājan apaśyantyāḥ kā śāntir hṛdayasya me ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “When I once saw you in the royal assembly, surrounded by kings, that sight itself was a source of assurance. Now, O King, when I do not see you in that same state, what peace can my heart possibly find?”

Word by Word

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अपश्यम्: I saw
• अपश्यम्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सभायाम्: in the assembly hall
• सभायाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सभा
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Accusative, Singular

• राजभिः: by kings
• राजभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• परिवारितम्: surrounded
• परिवारितम्: Karma
• Type: Participle
• Root: परि + वृत् (परिवारयति)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular, Past passive participle (kta)

• तत्: that (sight/that fact)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

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

• अपश्यन्त्याः: of me (a woman) not seeing
• Type: Participle
• Root: दृश् (पश्यन्ती)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Singular, Present active participle (śatṛ), feminine

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun (interrogative)
• Root: किम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• शान्तिः: peace, consolation
• शान्तिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्ति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• हृदयस्य: of (my) heart
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृदय
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• मे: my, to me
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• rājan (the King, addressed)
• sabhā (royal assembly/court)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how honor and stability once embodied in a righteous king’s public standing can become a measure of inner peace for loved ones; when that visible order collapses, the heart struggles to find consolation. It underscores the ethical weight of kingship: a king’s fortune is not merely personal but affects the emotional and moral security of those connected to him.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker recalls having seen the king in a royal assembly surrounded by other kings—an image of power, dignity, and protection. In the present situation, that sight is absent, and the speaker laments that without seeing the king in such a state, there can be no peace in the heart.