Shloka 12

भीमस्य जलान्वेषणं तथा वनविश्रान्तिः

Bhīma’s Search for Water and the Forest Halt

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच पूर्वमेव तु सम्मन्त्रय पार्थो द्रोणमथाब्रवीत्‌ | दर्पोद्रेकात्‌ कुमाराणामाचार्य द्विजसत्तमम्‌

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca pūrvam eva tu sammantrya pārtho droṇam athābravīt | darpodrekāt kumārāṇām ācārya dvijasattamam ||

Translation

வைசம்பாயனர் கூறினார்—ஓ ஜனமேஜயா! இளவரசர்கள் தங்கள் வலமும் வீரமும் குறித்து மிகுந்த அகந்தையால் மிதந்தனர்; ஆகவே பார்த்தன் (அர்ஜுனன்) முன்பே ஆலோசித்து, இருபிறப்போரில் சிறந்த ஆசாரியன் துரோணனை நோக்கி உரைத்தான்.

Word by Word

• {'vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'pūrvam eva': 'indeed beforehand

• in advance', 'sammantrya': 'having consulted

• having deliberated together', 'pārthaḥ': 'son of Pṛthā

• Arjuna', 'droṇam': 'Droṇa (the martial preceptor)', 'atha': 'then

• thereafter', 'abravīt': 'said

• spoke', 'darpodrekāt': 'from an upsurge/excess of pride (darpa + udreka)', 'kumārāṇām': 'of the princes

• royal youths', 'ācārya': 'teacher

• preceptor', 'dvijasattamam': 'the best of the twice-born (an honorific for an eminent Brahmin)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Droṇa
• kumārāḥ (the princes)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical value of prior deliberation (sammantra) and restraint: when pride inflates the behavior of the young princes, a responsible agent (Arjuna) approaches the teacher to steer action through counsel rather than ego-driven display.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, Arjuna—after consulting beforehand—speaks to Droṇa. The context given is that the princes are overconfident and proud of their strength, prompting Arjuna to address the preceptor to manage or correct the situation.