Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अभ्यद्रवन्त देवांस्ते सहस्नाणि दशैव हि । ततस्तैरदिता देवा: शरणं वासवं ययु:

Transliteration

abhyadravant devāṁs te sahasrāṇi daśaiva hi | tatas tair aditā devāḥ śaraṇaṁ vāsavaṁ yayuḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : Ces assaillants se ruèrent sur les dieux—ils étaient en vérité dix mille. Harcelés et submergés, les dieux, cruellement affligés, s’enfuirent et cherchèrent refuge auprès de Vāsava (Indra). L’épisode rappelle une éthique récurrente du Mahābhārata : lorsque la puissance est détournée pour tourmenter autrui, les opprimés recherchent une protection légitime, et le chef est éprouvé par son devoir d’abriter et de rétablir l’ordre.

Word by Word

• {'abhyadravant': 'they rushed upon, charged at (violent advance)', 'devān': 'the gods, devas (celestial beings)', 'te': 'they, those (referring to the attackers)', 'sahasrāṇi': 'thousands', 'daśa': 'ten', 'eva': 'indeed, precisely', 'hi': 'for, indeed (emphatic particle)', 'tatas': 'then, thereafter', 'taiḥ': 'by them (instrumental plural)', 'aditāḥ': 'afflicted, tormented, distressed', 'devāḥ': 'the gods (subject)', 'śaraṇam': 'refuge, protection, shelter', 'vāsavam': 'Vāsava, Indra (lord of the Vasus

• epithet of Indra)', 'yayuḥ': 'they went, they resorted to (perfect/preterite plural)'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Devas (gods)
• Vāsava (Indra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When the righteous are oppressed, seeking śaraṇa (refuge) with a rightful protector is appropriate; the protector’s dharma is to provide shelter and re-establish order against unjust aggression.

What is happening in the narrative?

A host numbering ten thousand attacks the devas; the devas are badly afflicted and, unable to withstand the assault, flee to Vāsava (Indra) for protection.