Shloka 25

Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality

Devanagari script

ततः सुसम्भ्रान्तमना बभूव कुरुनन्दन: । नोत्तरं प्रतिवक्तुं च शक्तो5भूज्जनमेजय,जनमेजय! इससे कुरुनन्दन सहदेवके मनमें बड़ी घबराहट हुई। वे इसका प्रतीकार करनेमें असमर्थ हो गये

Transliteration

tataḥ susambhrāntamanā babhūva kurunandanaḥ | nottaraṃ prativaktuṃ ca śakto 'bhūj janamejaya ||

Translation

ఓ జనమేజయా! అప్పుడు కురునందనుడైన సహదేవుని మనస్సు అత్యంత కలవరపడింది. అతడు దీనికి సమాధానం చెప్పటానికి గానీ ప్రతికారము చేయటానికి గానీ శక్తుడుకాలేదు.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

सुसम्भ्रान्तमनाone whose mind was greatly agitated

बभूवbecame

कुरुनन्दनःthe delight of the Kurus (Kuru prince)

नnot

उत्तरम्an answer, reply

प्रतिवक्तुम्to reply, to answer back

चand

शक्तःable, capable

अभूत्was, became

जनमेजयO Janamejaya

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Janamejaya

Kurunandana (Sahadeva)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that ethical or situational pressure can overwhelm a person’s composure, making speech and rebuttal impossible; silence here signals the gravity of the moment and the limits of argument when confronted by a difficult moral predicament.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana tells King Janamejaya that the Kuru prince (identified in context as Sahadeva) becomes intensely disturbed and is unable to respond—indicating that he has been placed in a position where he cannot effectively counter what has been said or done.