Shloka 34

Devanagari script

नकुल: सहदेवश्न बीभत्सुश्च॒ परंतप । चिरं गतास्तोयहेतोर्न चागच्छन्ति भारत

Transliteration

nakulaḥ sahadevaś ca bībhatsuś ca parantapa | ciraṁ gatās toy-hetoḥ na ca āgacchanti bhārata ||

Translation

यक्ष म्हणाला—हे परंतप! नकुल, सहदेव आणि बीभत्सु (अर्जुन)ही पाण्यासाठी फार वेळापूर्वी गेले; पण हे भारत, ते अजून परत आलेले नाहीत.

Word by Word

नकुलःNakula

सहदेवःSahadeva

बीभत्सुःBibhatsu (Arjuna)

चand

परंतपO scorcher of foes (epithet)

चिरम्for a long time

गताःgone

तोयहेतोःfor the sake of water (because of water)

नnot

चand

आगच्छन्तिthey come back / they return

भारतO Bharata

Speaker

यक्ष उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yakṣa

Nakula

Sahadeva

Bībhatsu (Arjuna)

Parantapa (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Bhārata (Yudhiṣṭhira)

water

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 sets up an ethical test: when companions fail to return, one must respond with steadiness and discernment rather than impulsive action—preparing the ground for dharma-centered questioning and truthful speech.

What is happening in the narrative?

The Yakṣa informs Yudhiṣṭhira that his brothers Nakula, Sahadeva, and Arjuna went to fetch water and have been gone a long time without returning, prompting Yudhiṣṭhira to investigate and face the Yakṣa’s challenge.