Shloka 40

Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)

Devanagari script

एवं ब्रुवति भीम॑ तु धर्मराजे युधिष्ठिरे । आजगाम महाभागो बृहदश्वो महानृषि:,धर्मराज युधिष्ठिर जब भीमसेनसे ऐसी बातें कह रहे थे, उसी समय महाभाग महर्षि बृहदश्व वहाँ आ पहुँचे

Transliteration

evaṁ bruvati bhīme tu dharmarāje yudhiṣṭhire | ājagāma mahābhāgo bṛhadaśvo mahānṛṣiḥ ||

Translation

As Bhīma was speaking thus to Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira, at that very moment the illustrious great sage Bṛhadaśva arrived there.

Word by Word

एवम्thus

ब्रुवतिwhile (he) was speaking/says

भीमेwhen/with Bhima (i.e., in Bhima's speaking)

तुbut/indeed

धर्मराजेto/with the Dharma-king (Yudhishthira) (locative absolute context)

युधिष्ठिरेin/with Yudhishthira

आtowards, hither (preverb)

जगामcame/arrived

महाभागःthe fortunate/noble one

बृहदश्वःBrihadashva

महानृषिःthe great sage

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bhīma (Bhīmasena)

Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja)

Bṛhadaśva (mahānṛṣi)

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?

The verse underscores a common Mahābhārata ethic: when intense speech and emotion arise among rulers and warriors, the arrival of a mahānṛṣi represents the corrective authority of dharma—guidance that steadies judgment and redirects action toward righteous conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

While Bhīma is addressing Yudhiṣṭhira, the great sage Bṛhadaśva arrives on the scene. The narration marks a shift from internal discussion among the Pāṇḍavas to an encounter with a sage who will influence the course of the episode through instruction or story.