Shloka 22

Devanagari script

एष सर्वान्‌ महीपालान्‌ करदान्‌ समकारयत्‌ | वैश्यानिव महाभागो विवशान्‌ स्ववशानपि

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca | eṣa sarvān mahīpālān karadān samakārayat | vaiśyān iva mahābhāgo vivaśān svavaśān api |

Translation

Arjuna dit : «Ce roi illustre contraignit tous les souverains de la terre à devenir tributaires. Tels des vaiśyas, qu’ils le voulussent ou non, il les plaça sous sa coupe et leur fit payer le tribut.»

Word by Word

• एषः: this (man/king)
• एषः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• महीपालान्: kings, rulers of the earth
• महीपालान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपाल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• करदान्: tribute-paying, tax-paying
• करदान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: करद
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• समकारयत्: made (them) do; caused (them) to become
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + कृ (कारयति)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada, true

• वैश्यान्: Vaiśyas (commoners/merchant class)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैश्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• महाभागः: the greatly fortunate/noble one
• महाभागः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाभाग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विवशान्: helpless, compelled
• विवशान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विवश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• स्ववशान्: under his own control; subject to him
• स्ववशान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ववश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

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

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• mahābhāga (an illustrious king, unnamed in this verse)
• mahīpāla (kings/rulers as a class)
• vaiśya (social class as a comparison)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a model of imperial kingship: a powerful ruler establishes political order by bringing other kings under suzerainty and regularizing tribute, framing subordination in terms of social hierarchy (kings made to function like tax-paying subjects).

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna is describing the extent of an illustrious king’s dominance: he made all other rulers—whether compliant or resistant—submit and pay tribute, emphasizing the king’s authority and the breadth of his control.