Shloka 17

Ajñātavāsa-saṅkalpaḥ — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Resolve and Dhaumya’s Exempla on Concealment

Devanagari script

ततः सत्यवत: कायात्‌ पाशबद्ध॑ वशं गतम्‌ । अड्गुष्ठमात्रं पुरुषं निश्चकर्ष यमो बलात्‌,तदनन्तर यमराजने सत्यवानके शरीरसे पाशमें बँधे हुए अंगुष्ठमात्र परिमाणवाले विवश हुए जीवको बलपूर्वक खींचकर निकाला

Transliteration

tataḥ satyavataḥ kāyāt pāśabaddhaṁ vaśaṁ gatam | aṅguṣṭhamātraṁ puruṣaṁ niścakarṣa yamo balāt ||

Translation

Then Yama, by sheer force, drew from Satyavān’s body the thumb-sized Person—the bound, helpless life-principle caught in his noose. The sight laid bare Death’s stark dominion over embodied life, even as it prepared the moral counterpoint of steadfast righteousness and devoted resolve that would dare to confront this seeming inevitability.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• सत्यवतः: of Satyavat
• सत्यवतः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्यवत्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• कायात्: from (his) body
• कायात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काय
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• पाशबद्धम्: bound by a noose
• पाशबद्धम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाशबद्ध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• वशं: into subjection, control
• वशं: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• गतम्: gone, having come (into)
• गतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अङ्गुष्ठमात्रम्: thumb-sized
• अङ्गुष्ठमात्रम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अङ्गुष्ठमात्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पुरुषम्: person (soul-being)
• पुरुषम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• निश्चकर्ष: drew out, dragged out
• निश्चकर्ष: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृष्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बलात्: by force
• बलात्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Satyavān
• Yama (Yamarāja)
• pāśa (Yama’s noose)
• puruṣa (thumb-sized jīva)