Shloka 11

Devanagari script

यथा येन च कल्पेन स तस्मै द्विजसत्तम: । कथां कथितवान्‌ पृष्टस्तथा त्वमपि मे शृणु

Transliteration

yathā yena ca kalpena sa tasmai dvijasattamaḥ | kathāṃ kathitavān pṛṣṭas tathā tvam api me śṛṇu

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «De quelque manière et selon quelque procédé que le plus éminent des deux-fois-nés, interrogé, lui ait raconté cette histoire, de même écoute-la de ma bouche tandis que je te la rapporte.»

Word by Word

• यथा: as, in the manner that
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

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

• कल्पेन: by the method/arrangement
• कल्पेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Dative, Singular

• द्विजसत्तमः: the best of the twice-born (Brahmin)
• द्विजसत्तमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजसत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कथाम्: the story/discourse
• कथाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• कथितवान्: told, narrated
• कथितवान्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ्
• Form: Perfect (periphrastic), Third, Singular, Masculine, Nominative

• पृष्टः: having been asked
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ्
• Form: Passive, Past (PPP), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: so, thus, in that way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Nominative, Singular

• अपि: also, even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• मे: of me, my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• शृणु: listen
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• dvijasattama (an eminent brāhmaṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes faithful transmission of instruction: a teaching should be conveyed in the same careful manner in which it was originally received—preserving method, context, and intent.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma signals that he will recount a previously told discourse or story, matching the earlier brāhmaṇa’s manner of narration, and asks his listener to attend closely.