Shloka 40

Devanagari script

निरीक्षितो5सौ नरदेव राज्ञा पूतात्मना निर्हटकल्मषेण । आसीजन्न यद्‌ भस्मसान्मद्रराज- स्तदद्भुतं मे प्रतिभाति राजन्‌

Transliteration

nirīkṣito ’sau naradeva rājñā pūtātmanā nirhaṭa-kalmaṣeṇa | āsījan na yad bhasmasān madra-rājas tad adbhutaṃ me pratibhāti rājan ||

Translation

Санджая сказал: О царь, владыка Мадры был пристально наблюдаем царём — чистым духом и изгнавшим всякую скверну; и всё же он не сел на пепел. Это, о царь, кажется мне поистине удивительным.

Word by Word

• निरीक्षितः: was looked at / was observed
• निरीक्षितः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: निरीक्ष् (धातु) → निरीक्षित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूत (कृत-प्रत्यय: क्त), कर्मणि/भावे (past passive participle), पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• असौ: that (man)
• असौ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नरदेव: O king (god among men)
• नरदेव: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• राज्ञा: by the king
• राज्ञा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, तृतीया, एकवचन

• पूतात्मना: by the pure-souled (one)
• पूतात्मना: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूतात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, तृतीया, एकवचन

• निर्हतकल्मषेण: by (one) whose sin/impurity is destroyed
• निर्हतकल्मषेण: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्हतकल्मष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, तृतीया, एकवचन

• आसीत्: was
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथम, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निपात)

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भस्मात्: from ashes
• भस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भस्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुं, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• मद्रराजः: the king of Madra
• मद्रराजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद्रराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अद्भुतम्: wonderful, astonishing
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मे: to me / for me
• मे: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• प्रतिभाति: appears / seems
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-भा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथम, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• King (Dhṛtarāṣṭra, implied addressee)
• Madra-rāja (king of Madra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid the moral turbulence of war, inner purity and disciplined restraint can still govern a ruler’s conduct. The ‘wonder’ is that a person deemed purified and closely scrutinized does not perform an act associated with defilement or despair (sitting on ashes), implying ethical self-control and dignity under pressure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the king that the Madra ruler, though observed by a pure-minded king free of taint, did not sit upon the ashes; Sañjaya finds this unexpected and remarkable. The line functions as a narrative aside emphasizing the surprising nature of the Madra ruler’s behavior.