Shloka 20

Kāmyaka-vane Pāṇḍava-nivāsaḥ — Vidurasya āgamanam ca (कamyake वने पाण्डवनिवासः—विदुरस्य आगमनं च)

Devanagari script

अद्य रात्रौ दिवा चाहं त्वत्कृते भरतर्षभ । प्रजागरे प्रपश्यामि विचित्र देहमात्मन:,“भरतकुलभूषण! मैं आज दिन-रात तुम्हारे लिये जागते रहनेके कारण अपने शरीरकी विचित्र दशा देख रहा हूँ!

Transliteration

adya rātrau divā cāhaṁ tvatkṛte bharatarṣabha | prajāgare prapaśyāmi vicitraṁ deham ātmanaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ó touro entre os Bhāratas, hoje —de noite e de dia—, por ter velado por tua causa, contemplo meu próprio corpo em condição estranha, como que alterada.”

Word by Word

अद्यtoday

रात्रौat night

दिवाby day / in the daytime

चand

अहम्I

त्वत्कृतेfor your sake

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas (best of Bharata lineage)

प्रजागरेI keep awake / I stay awake

प्रपश्यामिI see / I observe

विचित्रम्strange, unusual

देहम्body

आत्मनःof myself / my

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

bharatarṣabha (epithet addressing a Bharata prince/descendant)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights selfless concern: keeping vigil for another’s welfare can strain one’s own body, yet such wakeful care is presented as a meaningful act of duty and loyalty.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker reports to a Bharata noble that he has been awake day and night on the other’s behalf, and as a result he notices an unusual change or distress in his own physical condition.