Shloka 15

Bhīṣma Parva, Adhyāya 4 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Vyāsa Saṃvāda on Kāla and Jayalakṣaṇa

Signs of Victory

Devanagari script

तेषां विंशतिरेकोना महाभूतेषु पठचसु । चतुर्विशतिरुद्दिष्टा गायत्री लोकसम्मता

Transliteration

teṣāṁ viṁśatir ekonā mahābhūteṣu pañcasu | caturviṁśatir uddiṣṭā gāyatrī lokasammatā ||

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະກ່າວວ່າ: ໃນບັນດາສັດເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນ ກ່າວວ່າມີ 19. ເມື່ອນັບຮວມມະຫາພູຕະ 5 (ທາດໃຫຍ່ 5) ເຂົ້າດ້ວຍ ຈຳນວນທັງໝົດຖືກປະກາດເປັນ 24. ເນື່ອງຈາກ «ຄາຍະຕຣີ» ອັນໂລກຍອມຮັບວ່າເປັນມາດຕະຖານ ກໍມີ 24 ພະຍາງເຊັ່ນກັນ ດັ່ງນັ້ນອົງປະກອບ 24 ປະການນີ້ຈຶ່ງຖືກເອີ້ນວ່າ «ຄາຍະຕຣີ» ຕາມຄວາມເຂົ້າໃຈທົ່ວໄປ.

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• विंशतिः: twenty
• विंशतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विंशति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• एकोना: one less (i.e., nineteen)
• एकोना: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक-ऊन
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• महाभूतेषु: among the great elements
• महाभूतेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभूत
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• पञ्चसु: in/among the five
• पञ्चसु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun (Numeral)
• Root: पञ्चन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Plural

• चतुर्विंशतिः: twenty-four
• चतुर्विंशतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्विंशति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• उद्दिष्टा: is stated/declared
• उद्दिष्टा: Karta
• Type: Verb (Past Passive Participle)
• Root: उद्-√दिश्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• गायत्री: the Gāyatrī (meter/mantra)
• गायत्री: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• लोकसम्मता: accepted by the world / popularly acknowledged
• लोकसम्मता: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोकसम्मत
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Gāyatrī
• pañca-mahābhūta (five great elements)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links a cosmological enumeration (nineteen living categories plus the five great elements) to the sacred Vedic standard of the 24-syllabled Gāyatrī, suggesting that the world’s structure can be contemplated through a revered metrical/sacral framework.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya continues an explanatory passage by giving a numerical account of beings and elements, then justifies calling the set ‘Gāyatrī’ because its total (24) matches the well-known syllable-count of the Gāyatrī metre/mantra.