Shloka 13

Āstravidyā-Pradarśana: The Kuru Princes’ Public Demonstration of Arms (आस्त्रविद्या-प्रदर्शनम्)

Devanagari script

तथा राजर्षय: सर्वे ब्राह्मणाश्व तपोधना: । चक्रुरुच्चावचं कर्म यशसोअर्थाय दुष्करम्‌,“सम्पूर्ण राजर्षियों तथा तपस्वी ब्राह्मणोंने भी यशके लिये छोटे-बड़े कठिन कर्म किये हैं

Transliteration

tathā rājarṣayaḥ sarve brāhmaṇāś ca tapodhanāḥ | cakrur uccāvacam karma yaśaso 'rthāya duṣkaram ||

Translation

“అదేవిధంగా సమస్త రాజర్షులు మరియు తపోధనులైన బ్రాహ్మణులు కూడా యశస్సు కోసమై ఉన్నత-నిమ్న భేదములైన అనేక దుష్కర కార్యములను చేశారు.”

Word by Word

तथाthus; likewise

राजर्षयःroyal sages

सर्वेall

ब्राह्मणाःBrahmins

चand

तपोधनाःthose whose wealth is austerity (ascetic Brahmins)

चक्रुःdid; performed

उच्चावचम्varied; high and low (of many kinds)

कर्मdeed; act

यशसःof fame; for fame

अर्थायfor the sake (of); for obtaining

दुष्करम्difficult; hard to do

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

rājarṣis (royal sages)

brāhmaṇas (Brahmins)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that even highly accomplished figures—royal sages and ascetic Brahmins—have undertaken strenuous and varied actions to gain fame, inviting reflection on how the desire for reputation can drive difficult deeds and how such motives relate to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana generalizes from earlier examples, stating that many eminent persons performed diverse and arduous acts for the sake of renown, reinforcing a broader point about human motivations and exemplary precedents.