Shloka 16

कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः

Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma

Devanagari script

अनुभूतं हि बहुशस्त्वयैकेन द्विजोत्तम | न ते<स्त्यविदितं किंचित्‌ सर्वलोकेषु नित्यदा

Transliteration

anubhūtaṃ hi bahuśas tvayaikena dvijottama | na te 'sty aviditaṃ kiṃcit sarvalokeṣu nityadā, vipravara ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : «Ô meilleur des deux-fois-nés, toi seul as, maintes et maintes fois, été témoin et acteur de tant de choses au fil de nombreux âges. Dans tous les mondes, à aucun moment, rien ne demeure inconnu de toi, ô le plus éminent des brāhmaṇa.»

Word by Word

• अनुभूतम्: experienced, known by experience
• अनुभूतम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनुभू (धातु) / अनुभूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), neuter, nominative/accusative, singular

• हि: indeed, for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• बहुशः: many times, repeatedly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहुशस्

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: common, instrumental, singular

• एकेन: alone; by one (person)
• एकेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: masculine/neuter, instrumental, singular

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of the twice-born (Brahmin)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• ते: to you / of you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: common, dative/genitive, singular

• अस्ति: is, exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: present indicative (लट्), 3rd, singular

• अविदितम्: unknown
• अविदितम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अविदित (प्रातिपदिक; विद् धातु + क्त, with negation अ-)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), neuter, nominative/accusative, singular

• किञ्चित्: anything, something
• किञ्चित्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किञ्चित्
• Form: neuter, nominative/accusative, singular, often used adverbially/indefinitely

• सर्वलोकेषु: in all worlds
• सर्वलोकेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + लोक
• Form: masculine, locative, plural

• नित्यदा: always, at all times
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्यदा

• विप्रवर: O best of Brahmins
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र + वर
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• dvijottama (addressed brāhmaṇa/sage)
• vipravara (addressed brāhmaṇa/sage)
• sarvaloka (all worlds)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the epistemic authority of a realized brāhmaṇa-sage: true knowledge is grounded in repeated direct experience (anubhava) across vast time, making such a teacher a reliable guide for dharma and narrative truth.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana addresses an eminent brāhmaṇa with honorifics, praising his vast experiential knowledge and implying that he is uniquely qualified to explain events and principles spanning many worlds and ages.