Shloka 33

Droṇa’s Ācārya-Dakṣiṇā: Capture of Drupada and Division of Pāñcāla (द्रोण-आचार्यदक्षिणा)

Devanagari script

ततो जलविहारार्थ कारयामास भारत | चैलकम्बलवेश्मानि विचित्राणि महान्ति च

Transliteration

tato jalavihārārthaṃ kārayāmāsa bhārata | cailakambalaveśmāni vicitrāṇi mahānti ca | udakakrīḍanaṃ nāma kārayāmāsa bhārata | pramāṇakoṭyāṃ taṃ deśaṃ sthalaṃ kiñcid upetya ha ||

Translation

அதன்பின், ஓ பாரதகுலத்தோனே, நீர்விளையாட்டிற்காக அவன் பெரியதும் வியத்தகு வடிவமுடையதும் ஆன துணி-கம்பள மண்டபங்களை அமைக்கச் செய்தான். பின்னர் ‘பிரமாணகோடி’ எனப்படும் நாட்டில் ஒரு இடத்தை அடைந்து, ஓ பாரதா, அங்கே ஒரு விளையாட்டு நிலத்தை அமைக்கச் செய்து அதற்கு ‘உதகக்ரீடனம்’ (நீர்விளையாட்டு) என்று பெயரிட்டான்.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/from there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• जलविहारार्थम्: for the purpose of water-sport
• जलविहारार्थम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलविहारार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कारयामास: caused to be made/arranged
• Type: Verb
• Root: कारय् (causative of कृ)
• Form: Perfect (Periphrastic), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• चैलकम्बलवेश्मानि: houses/tents of cloth and blankets
• चैलकम्बलवेश्मानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैलकम्बलवेश्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• विचित्राणि: variegated/ornate
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विचित्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• महान्ति: great/large
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

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

• उदकक्रीडनम्: a (place/arrangement called) 'water-play'
• उदकक्रीडनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदकक्रीडन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• नाम: by name/called
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम

• कारयामास: caused to be made/arranged
• Type: Verb
• Root: कारय् (causative of कृ)
• Form: Perfect (Periphrastic), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• प्रमाणकोट्याम्: at/in Pramāṇakoṭī
• प्रमाणकोट्याम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाणकोटि
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• तम्: that
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• देशम्: place/region
• देशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• स्थलम्: ground/spot
• स्थलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• किञ्चित्: some/a certain
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किञ्चित्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उपेत्य: having approached
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-इ
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• ह: indeed/for emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Bhārata (Janamejaya as addressee)
• Pramāṇakoṭi
• Udakakrīḍana
• cailakambalaveśmāni (cloth-and-blanket pavilions)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how prosperity and authority can be invested in spectacle and pleasure; in the Mahābhārata’s moral universe, such indulgent display often becomes the backdrop where envy, pride, and rivalry intensify, testing dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

A grand water-sport venue is commissioned: ornate, large pavilions are set up, and after reaching a spot in Pramāṇakoṭi, the place is developed and named ‘Udakakrīḍana’ (“Water-play”).