Shloka 40

Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality

Devanagari script

सहदेवस्तु धर्मात्मा सैन्यं दृष्टवा भयार्दितम्‌ | परीतमग्निना राजन्‌ नाकम्पत यथाचल: । उपस्पृश्य शुचिर्भूत्वा सो5ब्रवीत्‌ पावकं तत:

Transliteration

sahadevas tu dharmātmā sainyaṁ dṛṣṭvā bhayārditam | parītam agninā rājan nākampata yathācalaḥ | upaspṛśya śucir bhūtvā so ’bravīt pāvakaṁ tataḥ |

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「王よ、法に篤いサハデーヴァは、軍勢が恐怖に苦しみ、火に取り囲まれているのを見ても、山のごとく揺るがず、震えもしなかった。彼はアーチャマナ（ācamana）を行って儀礼的に清められると、火神アグニに次のように語りかけた。」

Word by Word

• {'sahadevaḥ': 'Sahadeva (the youngest Pāṇḍava)', 'tu': 'but, indeed', 'dharmātmā': 'righteous-souled

• one whose nature is dharma', 'sainyam': 'army, host', 'dṛṣṭvā': 'having seen', 'bhayārditam': 'afflicted/tormented by fear', 'parītam': 'surrounded, encompassed', 'agninā': 'by fire

• by Agni', 'rājan': 'O King (address to the listener, Janamejaya)', 'na akampata (nākampata)': 'did not shake

• did not tremble', 'yathā': 'like, as', 'acalaḥ': 'a mountain

• immovable', 'upaspṛśya': 'having sipped water for purification (ācamana)', 'śuciḥ': 'pure, cleansed', 'bhūtvā': 'having become', 'abravīt': 'said, spoke', 'pāvakam': 'the Fire-god

• purifier (Agni)', 'tataḥ': 'then, thereafter'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Sahadeva
• Agni (Pāvaka)
• the army (sainya)
• King Janamejaya (implied by 'rājan')

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents dharmic steadiness under threat: a leader grounded in dharma does not succumb to fear, but maintains composure and follows disciplined, purifying conduct before acting or speaking—here, approaching Agni with reverence rather than panic.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sahadeva sees the army gripped by fear and hemmed in by fire. He remains unmoved like a mountain, performs ācamana to become ritually pure, and then speaks to Agni (Pāvaka), preparing to address the danger through a sacred appeal.