Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 21

Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative

Devanagari script

यक्षा विद्याधराश्चैव राक्षसाक्षामितौजस:

Transliteration

yakṣā vidyādharāś caiva rākṣasāś cāmitaujasaḥ

Translation

ਵੈਸ਼ੰਪਾਯਨ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ—ਯਕਸ਼, ਵਿਦਿਆਧਰ, ਅਤੇ ਅਪਾਰ ਪਰਾਕ੍ਰਮ ਵਾਲੇ ਰਾਖਸ਼ਸ ਵੀ ਉੱਥੇ ਮੌਜੂਦ ਸਨ।

Word by Word

• यक्षाः: Yakshas
• यक्षाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• विद्याधराः: Vidyadharas
• विद्याधराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्याधर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• राक्षसाः: Rakshasas (demons)
• राक्षसाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अक्षामितौजसः: of unmeasured/immeasurable might
• अक्षामितौजसः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षामितौजस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yakṣas
• Vidyādharas
• Rakṣasas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the epic idea that great moral and historical crises—like the Kurukṣetra war—are not merely human affairs; they are witnessed by a wider cosmic order, including powerful non-human beings, highlighting the magnitude and consequence of adharma and its correction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is listing the kinds of beings present/assembled as events unfold in the Shalya Parva context, noting that Yakṣas, Vidyādharas, and immensely powerful Rakṣasas were among those involved as onlookers or participants around the battlefield scene.