Shloka 16

Vyāsa’s Counsel to the Concealed Pāṇḍavas; Śaṃkara’s Boon and the Predestination of Draupadī

Chapter 157

Devanagari script

भीमसेन उवाच ज्ञायतामस्य यद्‌ दुःखं यतश्नैव समुत्थितम्‌ । विदित्वा व्यवसिष्यामि यद्यपि स्यात्‌ सुदुष्करम्‌,भीमसेन बोले--माँ! पहले यह मालूम करो कि इस ब्राह्मणको क्या दुःख है और वह किस कारणसे प्राप्त हुआ है। जान लेनेपर अत्यन्त दुष्कर होगा, तो भी मैं इसका कष्ट दूर करनेके लिये उद्योग करूँगा

Transliteration

bhīmasena uvāca—jñāyatām asya yad duḥkhaṃ yataś caiva samutthitam | viditvā vyavasisyāmi yady api syāt suduṣkaram ||

Translation

Bhīmasena dijo: «Madre, averígüese primero qué pena aflige a este brāhmaṇa y de qué causa ha nacido. Cuando lo sepa, me decidiré a obrar—aunque el remedio resulte sumamente arduo—para que su sufrimiento sea apartado.»

Word by Word

• {'bhīmasena uvāca': 'Bhīmasena said', 'jñāyatām': 'let it be known/ascertained (impersonal imperative)', 'asya': 'of this (person)', 'duḥkham': 'sorrow, suffering, distress', 'yataḥ': 'from what (cause), whence', 'ca eva': 'and indeed/also', 'samutthitam': 'arisen, originated', 'viditvā': 'having known, after understanding', 'vyavasisyāmi': 'I will determine/resolve

• I will undertake decisively', 'yady api': 'even if', 'syāt': 'should be/might be', 'suduṣkaram': 'very difficult, extremely hard to accomplish'}

Speaker

भीमसेन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīmasena
• a brāhmaṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Acting in dharma begins with clear understanding: one should first investigate the nature and cause of another’s suffering, then take a firm, responsible resolve to help—even when the task is difficult.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīma responds to the distress of a brāhmaṇa (as reported to his mother), urging that the cause of the man’s suffering be found out first; he then vows to undertake whatever is needed to remove that suffering, however hard it may be.