Shloka 12

Devanagari script

यदिदं संदिदेशास्मिन्‌ पाण्डवानां बलाग्रणी: । तदा ज्ञातुमिहेच्छामि भवता यदुनन्दन,“यदुनन्दन! पाण्डवसेनाके अग्रगामी अर्जुनने इस यज्ञके सम्बन्धमें जो कुछ संदेश दिया हो, उसे मैं आपके मुँहसे सुनना चाहता हूँ

Transliteration

yad idaṃ saṃdideśāsmin pāṇḍavānāṃ balāgraṇīḥ | tadā jñātum ihecchāmi bhavatā yadunandana ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O Yadunandana, I wish to learn here and now, from your own lips, what message the foremost leader of the Pāṇḍavas’ forces conveyed in this matter.”

Word by Word

यत्which/that (thing)

इदम्this

संदिदेशsent/communicated (a message)

अस्मिन्in this (matter/connection)

पाण्डवानाम्of the Pāṇḍavas

बलाग्रणीःthe leader of the army

तदाthen/thereupon

ज्ञातुम्to know

इहhere/in this matter

इच्छामिI wish/desire

भवताby you/through you

यदुनन्दनO delight of the Yadus (Kṛṣṇa)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yadunandana (Kṛṣṇa)

Pāṇḍavas

balāgraṇīḥ (the Pāṇḍava army’s foremost leader—contextually Arjuna)

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 highlights responsible transmission of information: significant decisions—especially those tied to royal ritual and public dharma—should be understood through reliable testimony from an authoritative witness, not rumor.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana addresses Kṛṣṇa (Yadunandana), asking him to recount the message delivered by the Pāṇḍavas’ foremost military leader (understood in context as Arjuna) regarding the matter at hand, connected with the Aśvamedha proceedings.