Shloka 21

Devanagari script

ततोअब्रवीन्महातेजा: सर्वान्‌ भ्रातृन्‌ युधिष्ठिर: । श्रुतं वै पुरुषव्याप्रा यन्मां द्वैधवायनो5ब्रवीत्‌

Transliteration

tato 'bravīn mahātejāḥ sarvān bhrātṝn yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | śrutaṃ vai puruṣavyāghrā yan māṃ dvaidhavāyano 'bravīt ||

Translation

Alors le puissant Yudhiṣṭhira s’adressa à tous ses frères : «Ô hommes pareils à des tigres, j’ai bien entendu ce que Dvaidhavāyana m’a dit.»

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

अब्रवीत्said, spoke

महातेजाःthe great-splendoured (one)

सर्वान्all

भ्रातॄन्brothers

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

श्रुतम्heard (what was heard), the report

वैindeed

पुरुषव्याघ्राःO tigers among men

यत्what, that which

माम्me

द्वैधवायनःDvaidhavāyana (Vyāsa)

अब्रवीत्said, told

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Dvaidhavāyana (Vyāsa)

the brothers of Yudhiṣṭhira (Pāṇḍavas, collectively)

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 responsible action grounded in authoritative counsel: Yudhiṣṭhira frames his guidance to his brothers as based on what he has heard from Vyāsa, emphasizing humility before wisdom and the ethical importance of acting with informed discernment rather than impulse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira, described as mighty, addresses all his brothers and announces that he has heard Vyāsa’s message to him—preparing the group for a decision or course of action shaped by that instruction.