Shloka 29

Devanagari script

तथैवाहं मतिमता परिचिन्त्येह पाण्डुना । ज्येष्ठ: प्रभश्रंशितो राज्याद्धीनाड़ इति भारत,“भारत! इसी प्रकार मैं भी अंगहीन था; इसलिये ज्येष्ठ होनेपर भी बुद्धिमान्‌ पाण्डु एवं प्रजाजनोंके द्वारा खूब सोच-विचारकर राज्यसे वंचित कर दिया गया

Transliteration

tathaivāhaṃ matimatā paricintyeha pāṇḍunā | jyeṣṭhaḥ prabhraṃśito rājyād dhīnāṅga iti bhārata ||

Translation

「バーラタよ、我もまた同じであった。身体に欠けがあったゆえ、長子でありながら、賢きパーンドゥと民とが熟慮の末、我を王位から退けたのだ。」

Word by Word

तथाthus, in that manner

एवindeed, just

अहम्I

मतिमताby the wise one

परिचिन्त्यhaving considered, after deliberating

इहhere, in this matter

पाण्डुनाby Pāṇḍu

ज्येष्ठःeldest

प्रभ्रंशितःdeprived, made to fall away

राज्यात्from the kingdom

हीनाङ्गःone whose limbs are deficient (maimed)

इतिthus (quotative)

भारतO Bhārata

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

Pāṇḍu

Bhārata (addressee)

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 highlights that rulership is not granted by birth-order alone; for the sake of the kingdom’s welfare, wise deliberation may set aside seniority when a candidate is deemed unfit, emphasizing responsibility and public good in matters of succession.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva speaks to a Bhārata-descendant, recalling that he himself—though the eldest—was excluded from kingship because he was physically impaired, and that Pāṇḍu and the people, after careful consideration, deprived him of the throne.