Mahabharata 3.137.3 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 137, Shloka 3

यवक्रीत-वधः

The Slaying of Yavakrīta at Raibhya’s Hermitage

Devanagari script

यवक्रीस्तामुवाचेदमुपातिष्ठस्व मामिति । निर्लज्जो लज्जया युक्तां कामेन हृतचेतन:

Transliteration

Yavakrīḥ tām uvācedam upātiṣṭhasva mām iti | nirlajjo lajjayā yuktāṁ kāmena hṛtacetanaḥ ||

Translation

यवक्रीस्तामुवाचेदमुपातिष्ठस्व मामिति । निर्लज्जो लज्जया युक्तां कामेन हृतचेतनः ॥

Word by Word

• यवक्रीः: Yavakrī (proper name)
• यवक्रीः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यवक्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उपातिष्ठस्व: attend (upon), stand by, serve
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) उप- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: Imperative (Loṭ), 2nd, Singular, Ātmanepada

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Feminine (pronoun), Accusative, Singular

• इति: thus (quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• निर्लज्जः: shameless
• निर्लज्जः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्लज्ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• लज्जया: with modesty/shyness
• लज्जया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लज्जा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• युक्ताम्: endowed (with), possessed of
• युक्ताम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युक्त (कृदन्त; युज् धातु से)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• कामेन: by desire/lust (Kāma)
• कामेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• हृतचेतनः: one whose mind is stolen (bereft of sense)
• हृतचेतनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृत-चेतन (कृदन्त + प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

लोगश उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yavakrī
• a modest ascetic woman (muni-vadhū, implied by context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Unchecked kāma (desire) can seize the mind (hṛtacetana), eroding shame and ethical restraint, leading one to disrespect others and violate dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yavakrī, overcome by lust, addresses a modest woman and commands her to attend upon him, revealing a moral lapse that sets the stage for further conflict and consequences in the episode.