Shloka 11

Bhīṣma Parva, Adhyāya 4 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Vyāsa Saṃvāda on Kāla and Jayalakṣaṇa

Signs of Victory

Devanagari script

त्रसानां खलु सर्वेषां श्रेष्ठा राजन्‌ जरायुजा: । जरायुजानां प्रवरा मानवा: पशवश्च ये,राजन! सम्पूर्ण जंगम जीवोंमें जरायुज श्रेष्ठ माने गये हैं, जरायुजोंमें भी मनुष्य और पशु उत्तम हैं

Transliteration

trasānāṁ khalu sarveṣāṁ śreṣṭhā rājan jarāyujāḥ | jarāyujānāṁ pravarā mānavāḥ paśavaś ca ye rājan ||

Translation

Санджая сказал: «О царь, среди всех подвижных существ первейшими считаются рождающиеся из чрева. А среди чреворождённых, о царь, лучшими признаются люди и звери».

Word by Word

• त्रसानाम्: of the moving (living beings)
• त्रसानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• खलु: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: खलु

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• श्रेष्ठाः: the best
• श्रेष्ठाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• जरायुजाः: the viviparous (born from a womb/placenta)
• जरायुजाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जरायुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जरायुजानाम्: among/of the viviparous
• जरायुजानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जरायुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• प्रवराः: the foremost
• प्रवराः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मानवाः: humans
• मानवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पशवः: animals/beasts
• पशवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• ये: who/which
• ये: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'rājan')
• mānavāḥ (humans)
• paśavaḥ (animals)
• jarāyujāḥ (viviparous beings)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents a traditional classification and valuation of living beings: among mobile creatures, womb-born (viviparous) are considered superior, and within them humans and animals are highlighted as pre-eminent—implying a framework for ethical reflection on life, responsibility, and the place of human agency.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating events and reflections to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, states a general principle about the ranking of living beings, functioning as contextual discourse within Bhīṣma Parva’s broader war narration and its moral-philosophical framing.