Mahabharata 9.50.37 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 50, Shloka 37

Sārasvata–Dadhīca Upākhyāna at Sarasvatī Tīrtha

Balarāma’s Pilgrimage Context

Devanagari script

सर्वमेधं च दुष्प्रापं तथा सौत्रामणिं च ये

Transliteration

sarvamedhaṃ ca duṣprāpaṃ tathā sautrāmaṇiṃ ca ye

Translation

Disse Vaiśampāyana: “Aqueles que (realizam) o Sarvamedha—tão difícil de obter—e igualmente o sacrifício Sautrāmaṇī…”

Word by Word

• सर्वमेधम्: the Sarvamedha (sacrifice)
• सर्वमेधम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वमेध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

• दुष्प्रापम्: hard to obtain
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्प्राप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: likewise/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• सौत्रामणिम्: the Sautrāmaṇi (sacrifice)
• सौत्रामणिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौत्रामणि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

• ये: who/which (those who)
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Sarvamedha (sacrifice)
• Sautrāmaṇī (sacrifice)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse points to the extraordinary difficulty and prestige of certain Vedic sacrifices (like Sarvamedha and Sautrāmaṇī), implying that such rites are markers of exceptional religious merit and disciplined adherence to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is listing or invoking highly meritorious sacrifices—beginning with the rare Sarvamedha and the Sautrāmaṇī—within a broader passage that evaluates deeds and their spiritual or ethical weight.