Shloka 3

युधिष्ठिरकृष्णसंवादः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Appeal and Kṛṣṇa’s Assurance

Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 59

Devanagari script

जघान च जनस्थाने राक्षसान्‌ मनुजर्षभ:

Transliteration

jaghāna ca janasthāne rākṣasān manujarṣabhaḥ

Translation

Et à Janasthāna, le taureau parmi les hommes abattit les rākṣasas — acte présenté comme l’élimination de forces violentes et prédatrices qui menaçaient la sécurité des innocents et l’ordre du pays.

Word by Word

• जघान: slew/killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (√हन्)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/परफेक्ट), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम, एकवचनम्

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• जनस्थाने: in Janasthāna (at the place called Janasthāna)
• जनस्थाने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनस्थान
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्

• राक्षसान्: the Rākṣasas (demons)
• राक्षसान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्

• मनुजर्षभः: the bull among men (best of men)
• मनुजर्षभः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुजर्षभ
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Janasthāna
• rākṣasas
• manujarṣabha (epithet of a heroic man)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames force as ethically intelligible when used to restrain predatory violence and restore social order—valor becomes dharmic when directed toward protecting others from harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada reports that a great hero ('best of men') killed the rākṣasas at a place called Janasthāna, indicating the elimination of a dangerous demonic presence there.