Shloka 20

Adhyāya 33 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Conflict Remorse and Inquiry on Āśrama Discipline (शोक-विमर्शः, आश्रम-जिज्ञासा)

Devanagari script

तेषामपि महाबाहो कर्माणि परिचिन्तय । विनाशहेतुकानि त्वं यैस्ते कालवशं गता:

Transliteration

teṣām api mahābāho karmāṇi paricintaya | vināśa-hetukāni tvaṃ yais te kāla-vaśaṃ gatāḥ ||

Translation

Вьяса сказал: «О могучерукий, поразмысли также о деяниях тех людей — о тех самых поступках, из-за которых они стали орудиями разрушения и, подавленные Временем, были унесены к своему концу».

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• महाबाहो: O mighty-armed one
• महाबाहो: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun (vocative epithet)
• Root: महाबाहु
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कर्माणि: deeds/actions
• कर्माणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• परिचिन्तय: consider/reflect upon
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त्
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• विनाशहेतुकानि: causes of destruction
• विनाशहेतुकानि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनाशहेतुक
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यैः: by which
• यैः: Karana
• Type: Pronoun (relative)
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कालवशम्: under the sway of time
• कालवशम्: Gati/Adverbial (Karma-pravacaniya)
• Type: Noun (adverbial accusative)
• Root: कालवश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• गताः: have gone/ended up
• Type: Verb (past participle)
• Root: गम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, क्त (past passive participle)

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• mahābāhu (addressee, unspecified in the verse)
• Kāla (Time)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should scrutinize the specific actions that lead to downfall, recognizing that ruin is not random: destructive choices become the causes, and then Time (kāla) completes the consequence. Ethical reflection on causality in action is urged.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa addresses a heroic listener and instructs him to contemplate the deeds of certain people who have perished—highlighting that their end came through ruin-causing actions and the overpowering force of Time.