Shloka 9
अर्जुनदुःखहेतुप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the cause of Arjuna’s recurring hardship
Book 14, Chapter 89
Devanagari script
वसुधा भवतत्त्वेषा संन्यस्ता राजसत्तम
Transliteration
vasudhā bhavatattveṣā saṃnyastā rājasattama
Translation
وَیشَمپایَن نے کہا—اے بہترین بادشاہ، یہ زمین اپنی فطرت کے مطابق تمہارے سپرد کی گئی ہے (تمہاری نگہبانی میں)۔
Word by Word
वसुधाthe earth
वसुधा:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootवसुधा
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
भवतत्त्वाhaving your essence/nature (i.e., of your very being)
भवतत्त्वा:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootभवतत्त्व
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
एषाthis
एषा:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootएतद्
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
संन्यस्ताentrusted/handed over; deposited
संन्यस्ता:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootसम्-नि-√अस् (न्यास)
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
राजसत्तमO best of kings
राजसत्तम:
TypeNoun
Rootराजसत्तम
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
Speaker
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Characters & Entities
V
VaiśaṃpāyanaE
Earth (Vasudhā)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
The verse frames sovereignty as stewardship: the earth/realm is not merely possessed but entrusted, implying a king’s dharma to protect, sustain, and govern in harmony with the land’s inherent order (tattva).
Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses a king and states that the earth has been ‘placed in his care,’ signaling a transfer or affirmation of responsibility and authority, with an ethical emphasis on rightful governance.