Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ते तु खिन्ना विवादेन ऋषयस्तत्त्वदर्शिन:,भरतनन्दन! वे तत्त्वदर्शी ऋषि जब इस विवादसे बहुत खिन्न हो गये, तब उन्होंने इन्द्रके साथ सलाह लेकर इस विषयमें राजा उपरिचर वसुसे पूछा--“महामते! हमलोग धर्मविषयक संदेहमें पड़े हुए हैं। आप हमसे सच्ची बात बताइये

Transliteration

te tu khinnā vivādena ṛṣayas tattvadarśinaḥ | bharatanandana! te tattvadarśī ṛṣayaḥ yadā asmin vivāde bahu khinnā abhavan, tadā indreṇa saha mantrayitvā etasmin viṣaye rājānam uparicaraṃ vasuṃ papracchuḥ— “mahāmati! vayaṃ dharmaviṣaye saṃśaye patitāḥ smaḥ; bhavān asmān satyaṃ vaktuṃ arhati.”

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Les rishis, véritables discernants du réel, se lassèrent de la querelle. Alors, après avoir pris conseil auprès d’Indra, ils s’approchèrent du roi Uparicara Vasu et l’interrogèrent : « Ô grand d’esprit, nous sommes tombés dans le doute au sujet du dharma. Dis-nous ce qui est vraiment juste. »

Word by Word

तेthey (those)

तुbut/indeed

खिन्नाःwearied, distressed

विवादेनby/with the dispute

ऋषयःsages

तत्त्वदर्शिनःseers of truth

भरतनन्दनO descendant/delighter of Bharata

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Ṛ

Ṛṣis (sages)

Indra

King Uparicara Vasu

Bharatanandana (addressed listener, traditionally Janamejaya)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When even learned sages become entangled in disagreement about dharma, they seek clarification through counsel and by approaching a trusted authority. The verse highlights humility in ethical inquiry and the importance of truthful guidance.

What is happening in the narrative?

A group of truth-seeing sages, exhausted by a dispute, consult Indra and then question King Uparicara Vasu to resolve their uncertainty about what dharma requires in the matter under debate.