Shloka 58

अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः

Devanagari script

त्रयोदश समा नित्यं नाभजत्‌ पुरुषर्षभ: । यस्य वीर्यवतो वीर्यमुपाश्रित्य महात्मन:

Transliteration

trayodaśa samā nityaṁ nābhajat puruṣarṣabhaḥ | yasya vīryavato vīryam upāśritya mahātmanaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Pendant treize ans, ce taureau parmi les hommes ne rechercha jamais son propre avantage ; il s’appuya sans cesse sur la vaillance de ce héros au grand cœur, dont la force était renommée.

Word by Word

त्रयोदशthirteen

समाःyears

नित्यम्always/constantly

नnot

अभजत्served/associated with

पुरुषर्षभःthe bull among men (best of men)

यस्यof whom/whose

वीर्यवत:of the powerful/valiant one

वीर्यम्strength/valor

उपाश्रित्यhaving resorted to/depending on

महात्मनःof the great-souled one

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical risk of living for long periods by leaning on another’s might: reliance on borrowed strength can obscure personal responsibility and merit, and it frames power as something that can be sought through refuge rather than through one’s own dharmic effort.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a leading warrior (addressed as ‘best of men’) who, for thirteen years, did not act independently but continually depended on the valor of a great-souled, powerful hero—indicating a sustained alliance or sheltering relationship that shaped the course of events in the war narrative.