Shloka 523

Devanagari script

विशेषतस्तु शपथं शपित्वा राजसंसदि । शत्रुके हाथसे पिता और पुत्रका वध पाकर, विशेषत: राजाओंकी मण्डलीमें शपथ खाकर कौन पुरुष उस शत्रुकी रक्षा करेगा?

Transliteration

viśeṣatas tu śapathaṁ śapitvā rājasansadi | śatruke hātase pitā ca putrasya ca vadhaṁ prāpya, viśeṣataḥ rājamaṇḍalī-madhye śapathaṁ kṛtvā kaḥ pumān tasya śatroḥ rakṣāṁ kariṣyati? |

Translation

భీమసేనుడు అన్నాడు—శత్రువు చేతిలో తండ్రి, కుమారుడు హతులైన తరువాత, ముఖ్యంగా రాజసభలో శపథం చేసి ఉన్నాక, ఏ పురుషుడు ఆ శత్రువును రక్షిస్తాడు?

Word by Word

• विशेषतस्: especially
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः
• Form: Avyaya

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु
• Form: Avyaya

• शपथम्: an oath
• शपथम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शपथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शपित्वा: having sworn
• Type: Verb
• Root: शप्
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वा), indeclinable; from √शप् 'to swear'

• राजसंसदि: in the royal assembly
• राजसंसदि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजसंसद्
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

भीमसेन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīmasena
• śatru (the enemy, unnamed)
• rājasansad (royal assembly)
• rājamaṇḍalī (assembly of kings)
• pitā (father)
• putra (son)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A vow sworn publicly—especially before kings—creates a binding moral and social obligation. Bhīma argues that after grievous wrongdoing (the slaying of father and son), protecting the offender would violate honor and the duty implied by such an oath.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīmasena is speaking in a war-context, invoking a prior oath taken in the royal assembly. He frames the enemy’s act (killing a father and son) as so grave that no honorable man, bound by a public pledge, could justify shielding that enemy from consequences.