Shloka 20

Devanagari script

बुद्धया विचिन्तयामास वीरा: केन निपातिता:

Transliteration

buddhyā vicintayāmāsa vīrāḥ kena nipātitāḥ | dharmaputro mahābāhur vilalāpa suvistaram ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : Alors le puissant Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira), après s’être longuement lamenté, se mit à réfléchir d’une intelligence raffermie : «Par qui ces héros ont-ils été abattus ?» La scène montre sa douleur se muer en enquête morale : il cherche une cause qui s’accorde avec les signes visibles et avec les exigences du dharma, plutôt que de se jeter dans une vengeance aveugle.

Word by Word

• बुद्धया: with (his) intellect
• बुद्धया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• विचिन्तयामास: pondered/considered
• विचिन्तयामास: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-चिन्त्
• Form: Perfect (Periphrastic), Third, Singular

• वीराः: the heroes
• वीराः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• केन: by whom?
• केन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• निपातिताः: felled/struck down
• निपातिताः: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-पत्
• Form: Past Passive Participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• धर्मपुत्रः: Dharma’s son (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• धर्मपुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महाबाहुः: mighty-armed
• महाबाहुः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबाहु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विललाप: lamented
• विललाप: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-लप्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular

• सुविस्तरम्: at great length / extensively
• सुविस्तरम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सु-विस्तर
• Form: true

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• the vīrāḥ (fallen heroes/brothers)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Grief is not the end-point; the dhārmic response is to steady the mind and seek truth through reasoned inquiry (buddhi), avoiding impulsive blame or retaliation without evidence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira, overwhelmed by sorrow at seeing the heroes fallen, laments for a long time and then begins to analyze who could have caused their fall—shifting from mourning to investigation.