Shloka 136

युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya

Devanagari script

कन्यासंवेद्यमासाद्य नियतो नियताशन:

Transliteration

kanyāsaṃvedyam āsādya niyato niyatāśanaḥ

Translation

ಕನ್ಯಾಸಂವೇದ್ಯ ತೀರ್ಥವನ್ನು ಸೇರಿ, ಅವನು ನಿಯಮಸ್ಥನಾಗಿ ನಿಂತನು; ಸಂಯಮವನ್ನು ಆಶ್ರಯಿಸಿ, ನಿಯತಾಹಾರವನ್ನು ಮಾತ್ರ ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸುತ್ತ ಶಿಸ್ತಿನಿಂದ ವರ್ತಿಸಿದನು.

Word by Word

कन्या-संवेद्यम्that which is to be made known to/communicated to a maiden

आसाद्यhaving reached/approached

नियतःdisciplined, self-controlled

नियत-आशनःone whose food/diet is regulated

Speaker

घुलस्त्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

kanyā (a maiden)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds niyama—disciplined restraint—especially through regulated conduct and diet. Ethical steadiness is shown not by impulse but by deliberate self-governance, even when the situation depends on sensitive personal testimony.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker describes someone who has arrived at a matter that must be understood via a maiden’s account, and emphasizes that he remains controlled and observant of discipline, marked by regulated eating—suggesting an ascetic or vow-bound posture within the episode.