Shloka 136

युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya

Devanagari script

कन्यासंवेद्यमासाद्य नियतो नियताशन:

Transliteration

kanyāsaṃvedyam āsādya niyato niyatāśanaḥ

Translation

Nang marating niya ang kalagayang mauunawaan lamang sa patotoo ng dalaga, nanatili siyang mapagpigil sa sarili, namuhay sa ilalim ng disiplina, at kumain lamang ng pagkaing may takdang sukat.

Word by Word

कन्या-संवेद्यम्that which is to be made known to/communicated to a maiden

आसाद्यhaving reached/approached

नियतःdisciplined, self-controlled

नियत-आशनःone whose food/diet is regulated

Speaker

घुलस्त्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

kanyā (a maiden)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds niyama—disciplined restraint—especially through regulated conduct and diet. Ethical steadiness is shown not by impulse but by deliberate self-governance, even when the situation depends on sensitive personal testimony.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker describes someone who has arrived at a matter that must be understood via a maiden’s account, and emphasizes that he remains controlled and observant of discipline, marked by regulated eating—suggesting an ascetic or vow-bound posture within the episode.