Shloka 13

Devanagari script

बह्वी: संसरमाणो वै योनीर्वतामि सत्तम | धर्मसंरक्षणार्थाय धर्मसंस्थापनाय च

Transliteration

bahvīḥ saṁsaramāṇo vai yonīr vatāmi sattama | dharma-saṁrakṣaṇārthāya dharma-saṁsthāpanāya ca ||

Translation

O best of the virtuous, I have indeed wandered through many wombs (many births), moving through saṁsāra, for the sake of protecting dharma and for the re-establishment of dharma as well.

Word by Word

• बह्वीः: many
• बह्वीः: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बह्वी (बहु-)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• संसरमाणः: wandering/transmigrating
• संसरमाणः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सं-√सृ (सरति)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• योनीः: wombs/births (forms of existence)
• योनीः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: योनि
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• व्रतामि: I choose/undertake
• Type: Verb
• Root: √व्र (व्रणोति/व्रयति) / √वृ (वृणोति)
• Form: Present, 1st, Singular

• सत्तम: O best of the good
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्तम (सत् + तमप्)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• धर्म: of dharma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• संरक्षणार्थाय: for the protection
• संरक्षणार्थाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संरक्षणार्थ (सं-√रक्ष + अर्थ)
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• धर्म: of dharma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• संस्थापनाय: for the establishment
• संस्थापनाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संस्थापन (सम्-√स्था + णिच्)
• Form: Neuter, Dative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वायुदेव (Vāyudeva)
• सत्तम (addressed virtuous person; unnamed in this verse)
• धर्म (Dharma)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents a dharma-centered view of existence: even repeated births and wandering in saṁsāra can be understood as purposeful when directed toward safeguarding and re-establishing dharma—moral order and rightful conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva speaks to a virtuous interlocutor, declaring that he has taken many embodiments and moved through many births with a specific aim: to protect dharma and to restore it when it declines.