Shloka 10

अर्जुनदुःखहेतुप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the cause of Arjuna’s recurring hardship

Book 14, Chapter 89

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिरस्तु तान्‌ विप्रान्‌ प्रत्युवाच महामना:

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhiras tu tān viprān pratyuvāca mahāmanāḥ |

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。そこで高潔なる心のユディシュティラは、あのブラーフマナの聖仙たちに答えた。正しき王に求められる節度ある威厳と、ダルマに対する責任をもって。

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• विप्रान्: brāhmaṇas/learned priests
• विप्रान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• प्रत्युवाच: replied/answered
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-उप-√वच्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• महामना: great-souled
• महामना: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महामनस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• viprāḥ (brāhmaṇas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ideal of dhārmic kingship: a ruler should respond to learned brāhmaṇas with humility, restraint, and moral seriousness, treating counsel and questioning as occasions for ethical clarity rather than mere authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates a transition: Yudhiṣṭhira, described as noble-minded, begins his reply to a group of brāhmaṇas. The verse functions as a framing line introducing Yudhiṣṭhira’s forthcoming speech.