Shloka 31
Devanagari script
हत्वा राजसहस्राणि बहून्याशुपराक्रम: । तद् व्यर्थ सम्प्रपश्यामि मोहात् तव जनाधिप
Transliteration
hatvā rājāsahasrāṇi bahūny āśuparākramaḥ | tad vyarthaṃ samprapaśyāmi mohāt tava janādhipa ||
Translation
迅く激しい武勇によって幾千もの王を討ち滅ぼしたのに、いまやそれらすべてが空しいと見える——迷妄ゆえに、ああ、人の主よ。
Word by Word
हत्वाhaving slain
हत्वा:
Karma
TypeVerb
Rootहन् (धातु)
Formक्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)
राजसहस्राणिthousands of kings
राजसहस्राणि:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootराजन् + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter, Accusative, Plural
बहूनिmany
बहूनि:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootबहु (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter, Accusative, Plural
आशुपराक्रमःone of swift prowess
आशुपराक्रमः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootआशु + पराक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
तत्that
तत्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
व्यर्थम्in vain, fruitless
व्यर्थम्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootव्यर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्यय (adverbial use)
सम्प्रपश्यामिI clearly see/realize
सम्प्रपश्यामि:
TypeVerb
Rootसम् + प्र + √पश् (धातु)
FormPresent (लट्), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada
मोहात्from delusion
मोहात्:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootमोह (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Ablative, Singular
तवof you, your
तव:
TypePronoun
Rootयुष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormGenitive, Singular
जनाधिपO lord of people (king)
जनाधिप:
Sampradana
TypeNoun
Rootजन + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
Speaker
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Characters & Entities
V
VaiśampāyanaJ
janādhipa (a king/ruler addressed)R
rājānaḥ (kings, collectively)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
Even extraordinary martial success can be judged as meaningless if it arises from moha (delusion) rather than dharmic clarity; ethical evaluation of action depends on motive, discernment, and consequence, not merely on power or victory.
The speaker (Vaiśampāyana, narrating) conveys a confession-like reflection addressed to a ruler: after killing innumerable kings with swift prowess, the speaker now recognizes those acts as futile, attributing the earlier course of action to delusion.