Shloka 36

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच (तच्छुत्वा वचनं तस्य विजयस्य हि धीमत: ।) विनिवर्त्य ततो रुक्मी सेनां सागरसंनिभाम्‌ | दुर्योधनमुपागच्छत्‌ तथैव भरतर्षभ,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--भरतश्रेष्ठ! उन परम बुद्धिमान्‌ अर्जुनका यह वचन सुनकर रुक्मी अपनी समुद्र-सदूश विशाल सेनाको लौटाकर उसी प्रकार दुर्योधनके पास गया

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | tac chrutvā vacanaṃ tasya vijayasya hi dhīmataḥ | vinivartya tato rukmī senāṃ sāgarasaṃnibhām | duryodhanam upāgacchat tathaiva bharatarṣabha ||

Translation

ไวศัมปายนะกล่าวว่า—โอ้ผู้ประเสริฐแห่งวงศ์ภารตะ! ครั้นรุกมีได้ฟังถ้อยคำของวิชัย (อรชุน) ผู้เปี่ยมปัญญาแล้ว ก็หันกองทัพอันไพศาลดุจมหาสมุทรกลับคืน และดังเดิมนั้นเองได้ไปเฝ้าทุรโยธน์

Word by Word

तत्that

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

वचनम्speech, words

तस्यof him

विजयस्यof Vijaya (Arjuna)

हिindeed

धीमतःof the wise/intelligent

विनिवर्त्यhaving turned back/caused to return

ततःthen, from there

रुक्मीRukmi

सेनाम्army

सागर-संनिभाम्ocean-like, resembling the sea

दुर्योधनम्Duryodhana

उपागच्छत्approached, went to

तथाthus, in that manner

एवindeed, just

भरत-ऋषभO bull of the Bharatas (best of Bharatas)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Vijaya (Arjuna)

Rukmī

Duryodhana

Bharatarṣabha (Janamejaya)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power and armies are secondary to discernment and alignment: after hearing Arjuna’s decisive words, Rukmī redirects his forces and chooses a political side, showing that intention and allegiance shape outcomes more than sheer military magnitude.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Rukmī, upon hearing the wise Vijaya (Arjuna), turns back his vast army and goes to Duryodhana, indicating a shift or confirmation of support toward the Kauravas.