Shloka 4

Devanagari script

यथा देवैर्महाराज ईश्वरादघिको वृत: । तथा भवानपि क्षिप्रं रुद्रस्येव पितामह:

Transliteration

yathā devair mahārāja īśvarād adhiko vṛtaḥ | tathā bhavān api kṣipraṁ rudrasyeva pitāmahaḥ ||

Translation

ດຸຣະໂຢທະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ມະຫາຣາຊາ, ເຊັ່ນທີ່ເທວະເຄີຍເລືອກຜູ້ທີ່ແຂງແກ່ກວ່າອີສະວະຣະ (ພຣະສິວະ) ເຊັ່ນນັ້ນ, ຂໍໃຫ້ທ່ານກໍເລືອກຜູ້ນຳກອງທັບໂດຍໄວ—ດັ່ງທີ່ປິຕາມະຫະເຄີຍເປັນດັ່ງນັ້ນແກ່ຣຸດຣະ»។

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• देवैः: by the gods
• देवैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• ईश्वरात्: than the Lord (Īśvara)
• ईश्वरात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• अधिकः: greater, superior
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वृतः: chosen, selected
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत
• Form: वृ (वृणोति/वृणुते) / वृत (PPP), Past (PPP used predicatively), Singular, Masculine, Nominative

• तथा: so, in the same way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• भवान्: you
• भवान्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: भवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अपि: also, even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• क्षिप्रम्: quickly, soon
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षिप्र

• रुद्रस्य: of Rudra
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• पितामहः: the Grandsire (Brahmā)
• पितामहः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• दुर्योधन (Duryodhana)
• महārāja (addressed king, contextually Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• देवाः (the gods)
• ईश्वर (Īśvara/Śiva)
• रुद्र (Rudra/Śiva)
• पितामह (Pitāmaha—Bhīṣma)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes the urgency and necessity of appointing capable leadership in crisis, legitimizing decisive command by invoking divine precedent and revered exemplars (the gods’ choice; Bhīṣma as ‘Pitāmaha’).

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana addresses the king and presses for swift selection/appointment of a supreme commander, comparing the desired choice to how the gods chose a superior leader and to Bhīṣma’s eminent status (‘Grandsire’) in relation to Rudra.