Shloka 12

Kaurava Mobilization at Kurukṣetra (Duryodhana Orders War Preparations) / कुरुक्षेत्रे धार्तराष्ट्र-सैन्यसज्जा

Devanagari script

वयसा शाम्त्रतो धैर्यात्‌ कुलेनाभिजनेन च । ह्वीमान्‌ बलान्वित: श्रीमान्‌ सर्वशास्त्रविशारद:

Transliteration

vayasā śāstrato dhairyāt kulenābhijanena ca | hrīmān balānvitaḥ śrīmān sarvaśāstraviśāradaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana disse: Dotado da maturidade da idade, firmado na autoridade dos śāstra, constante pela coragem e distinguido por nobre linhagem e alto nascimento, era ainda modesto, forte, próspero e versado em todos os ramos do saber—qualidades que assinalam um líder apto a sustentar o dharma em tempos de tensão política.

Word by Word

वयसाby age

शास्त्रतःfrom/according to the scriptures; scripturally

धैर्यात्from steadfastness; due to courage

कुलेनby lineage

अभिजनेनby noble birth/ancestry

चand

ह्विमान्possessing hvi (a quality/name as given in the text)

बलान्वितःendowed with strength

श्रीमान्prosperous; illustrious

सर्वशास्त्रविशारदःskilled in all scriptures/treatises

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

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 presents an ethical portrait of ideal authority: true eminence is not merely power or birth, but a balanced excellence—maturity, scriptural grounding, courage, noble conduct, modest restraint, strength, prosperity, and broad learning—supporting righteous leadership (dharma) amid conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana is describing a prominent figure by listing his qualifications and virtues, using a formal encomium to establish credibility and moral stature before subsequent events in the Udyoga Parva’s tense pre-war negotiations and preparations.