Mahabharata 9.37.40 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 37, Shloka 40

Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative

Devanagari script

कम्मिंश्चित्‌ कारणे तत्र विस्मितो यदुनन्दन: । निवृत्ता हेतुना केन कथमेव सरिद्वरा

Transliteration

kasmicit k
01raee tatra vismito yadunandana | nivtt
01 hetun
01 kena katham eva saridvar
01

Translation

జనమేజయుడు అడిగాడు—అక్కడ యదునందనుడు (బలరాముడు) ఏ కారణంతో ఆశ్చర్యపడ్డాడు? ఆ శ్రేష్ఠ నది ఏ హేతువల్ల వెనుదిరిగి ప్రవాహం ఆపింది, అది ఎలా జరిగింది?

Word by Word

• कस्मिंश्चित्: in some (unspecified)
• कस्मिंश्चित्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: कस्मिन् + चित्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• कारणे: cause, reason
• कारणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• विस्मितः: astonished
• विस्मितः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विस्मित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यदुनन्दनः: the delight of the Yadus (Krishna)
• यदुनन्दनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यदु-नन्दन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• निवृत्ता: has turned back/ceased/returned
• निवृत्ता: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-वृत् (निवृत्त)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• हेतुना: by/with a cause
• हेतुना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेतु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• केन: by what? by whom?
• केन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• कथम्: how?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• सरिद्वरा: the excellent river (best of rivers)
• सरिद्वरा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित्-वर
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• Yadunandana (Krishna)
• saridvar
  01 (a great river)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models dharmic inquiry: when an extraordinary event occurs (astonishment, a river stopping), one should seek the underlying cause (hetu) and the precise manner (katham), emphasizing careful questioning as a path to understanding.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the frame dialogue, King Janamejaya asks the narrator to explain a specific episode: why K99a (Yadunandana) was amazed and what caused an eminent river to cease or turn back, requesting the causal explanation and sequence of events.