Shloka 21

Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Reconciliation and Partition (भीष्मोपदेशः—संधि-राज्यविभागविचारः)

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच तत उत्थाय भगवान्‌ व्यासो द्वैपायन: प्रभु: । करे गृहीत्वा राजानं राजवेश्म समाविशत्‌,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर शक्तिशाली द्वैपायन भगवान्‌ व्यासजी अपने आसनसे उठे और राजा ट्रपदका हाथ पकड़कर राजभवनके भीतर चले गये

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | tata utthāya bhagavān vyāso dvaipāyanaḥ prabhuḥ | kare gṛhītvā rājānaṃ rājaveśma samāviśat |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Then the venerable Vyāsa, the mighty lord Dvaipāyana, rose from his seat. Taking the king by the hand, he entered the royal residence—an act that signals both the king’s deference to spiritual authority and the sage’s guiding role in the unfolding events.

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

ततःthen, thereafter

उत्थायhaving risen

भगवान्the venerable one, the blessed

व्यासःVyāsa

द्वैपायनःDvaipāyana

प्रभुःthe lord, the powerful one

करेin (his) hand

गृहीत्वाhaving taken, having grasped

राजानम्the king

राजवेश्मthe royal palace

समाविशत्entered

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Vyāsa (Dvaipāyana)

the King (rājā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the normative hierarchy in dharma: royal power is guided and legitimized by spiritual authority. The sage’s act of taking the king by the hand symbolizes counsel, restraint, and the king’s willingness to be led by dharmic wisdom rather than mere sovereignty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates a transition: Vyāsa rises and physically leads the king into the palace. This movement typically introduces a private or consequential exchange, marking a shift from public setting to an interior space where decisive counsel or events may follow.