Shloka 20

Devanagari script

इत्यवश्यं मयैतद्‌ वो वक्तव्यं द्विजसत्तमा: । शृणुताव्यग्रमनस: शंसतो मे यथातथम्‌,'श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्णो! इसका कारण अवश्य आपलोगोंको बताने योग्य है। अब मैं यथार्थरूपसे जो कुछ कहता हूँ, उसे आप लोग शान्तचित्त होकर सुनें

Transliteration

ity avaśyaṁ mayaitad vo vaktavyaṁ dvijasattamāḥ | śṛṇutāvyagramanasaḥ śaṁsato me yathātatham ||

Translation

「二度生まれのうち最勝の者たちよ。これを汝らに告げねばならぬのは、まことに必然である。いま、心を散らさず静めて聞け。わたしはありのまま、起こったとおりに語ろう。」

Word by Word

इतिthus

अवश्यम्certainly, necessarily

मयाby me

एतत्this

वःto you (all)

वक्तव्यम्to be said; must be told

द्विजसत्तमाःO best of the twice-born (Brahmins)

शृणुतhear, listen

अव्यग्रमनसःO (you) with undistracted minds

शंसतःof (me) speaking/telling

मेof me, my

यथाas, in the manner that

तथाso, accordingly

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

dvijas (brāhmaṇas)

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 emphasizes truthful narration (yathātatham) and disciplined listening (avyagramanasaḥ): ethical communication requires both a responsible speaker and attentive, calm-minded hearers.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses the assembled brāhmaṇas, stating that he must explain the cause of a matter and asking them to listen attentively as he recounts events exactly as they occurred.