Shloka 86

समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः

Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī

Devanagari script

सम्भवो जतुवेश्माख्यं हिडिम्बबकयोर्वध: । तथा चैत्रर॒थं देव्या: पाज्चाल्याश्व॒ स्वयंवर:

Transliteration

Sambhavo jatuveśmākhyam Hiḍimbabakayor vadhaḥ | tathā Caitrarathaṃ devyāḥ Pāñcālyāś ca svayaṃvaraḥ ||

Translation

सम्भव, जतु-वेश्म (लाक्षागृह) नामक प्रसंग, हिडिम्ब और बक का वध; तथा चैत्ररथ का प्रसंग और देवी पाञ्चाली का स्वयंवर—ये (आदिपर्व में) वर्णित हैं।

Word by Word

सम्भवःorigin; birth; coming into being

जतुवेश्माख्यम्called the lac-house

हिडिम्बबकयोःof Hidimba and Baka

वधःslaying; killing

तथाand also; likewise

चैत्ररथम्Chaitraratha (the celestial grove/forest)

देव्याःof the goddess/lady

पाञ्चाल्याःof Panchali (Draupadi)

स्वयम्by oneself; personally

वरःchoice (of a husband); selection

Speaker

राम उवाच

Characters & Entities

Rama

Jatuveśma (House of Lac)

Hiḍimba

Baka

Caitraratha

Pāñcālī (Draupadī)

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 dharma in action through key episodes: resisting deceit and safeguarding life (the lac-house plot), removing predatory threats to society (slaying man-eaters), and upholding orderly, publicly sanctioned choice and alliance (svayaṃvara). Together they frame heroism as protection, restraint, and responsibility rather than mere violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Rama enumerates major well-known episodes: the beginnings (birth/origin accounts), the ‘House of Lac’ incident, the killings of Hiḍimba and Baka, the Caitraratha episode, and Pāñcālī (Draupadī)’s svayaṃvara—functioning as a compact list of prominent events within the epic’s early narrative.