Shloka 12

Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 2 — Baladeva’s Counsel on Peace, Restitution, and Court Protocol

Devanagari script

तस्मात्‌ प्रणम्यैव वचो ब्रवीतु वैचित्रवीर्य बहुसामयुक्तम्‌

Transliteration

tasmāt praṇamyaiva vaco bravītu vaicitryavīrya bahusāmayuktam

Translation

तस्मात् प्रणम्यैव वचो ब्रवीतु वैचित्रवीर्य बहुसामयुक्तम्॥

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that (reason)
• तस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine/neuter, ablative, singular

• प्रणम्य: having bowed (saluted)
• प्रणम्य: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नम् (धातु: नम्)
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), parasmaipada (usage), non-finite

• एव: indeed/just/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• वचः: speech/words
• वचः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस्
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• ब्रवीतु: let (him) speak / should speak
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: लोट् (imperative), parasmaipada, 3rd, singular

• वैचित्रवीर्य: O Vaichitravīrya (descendant of Vicitravīrya)
• वैचित्रवीर्य: Sampradana
• Type: Noun (proper name/vocative)
• Root: वैचित्रवीर्य
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• बहुसामयुक्तम्: endowed with many conciliatory (considerations)/many arguments
• बहुसामयुक्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु-सा-युक्त
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

Speaker

बलदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Baladeva
• Vaicitryavīrya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Before delivering counsel—especially in tense political situations—one should begin with humility and respect (praṇāma) and then speak in a conciliatory, peace-oriented manner (bahu-sāma), so that speech serves dharma and social harmony rather than inflaming conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Baladeva urges that the addressee, Vaicitryavīrya, should first offer respectful obeisance and then speak words shaped for conciliation—implying a diplomatic approach aimed at reconciliation in the broader pre-war atmosphere of the Udyoga Parva.