Srimad Bhagavatam — Navama Skandha, Shloka 5

Mahārāja Sagara, Kapila Muni, and the Deliverance of the Sixty Thousand Sons

Devanagari script

यस्तालजङ्घान् यवनाञ्छकान् हैहयबर्बरान् । नावधीद् गुरुवाक्येन चक्रे विकृतवेषिण: ॥ ५ ॥ मुण्डाञ्छ्मश्रुधरान् कांश्चिन्मुक्तकेशार्धमुण्डितान् । अनन्तर्वासस: कांश्चिदबहिर्वाससोऽपरान् ॥ ६ ॥

Transliteration

yas tālajaṅghān yavanāñ chakān haihaya-barbarān nāvadhīd guru-vākyena cakre vikṛta-veṣiṇaḥ

Translation

Theo lời dạy của đạo sư Aurva, Maharaja Sagara không giết các dân tộc thô lỗ như Tālajaṅgha, Yavana, Śaka, Haihaya và Barbara. Thay vào đó, ngài bắt họ mang những kiểu trang phục khác nhau: có kẻ bị cạo trọc nhưng được để ria, có kẻ để tóc xõa, có kẻ cạo nửa đầu, có kẻ không mặc đồ lót, và có kẻ không có áo choàng ngoài. Nhờ vậy các nhóm được phân biệt bằng y phục, nhưng Sagara không sát hại họ.

Synonyms

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; relative pronoun ‘who’

• tālajaṅghān: the Tālajaṅghas
• tālajaṅghān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāla-jaṅgha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; name of a people ‘Tālajaṅghas’

• yavanān: the Yavanas
• yavanān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yavana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• śakān: the Śakas
• śakān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• haihaya-barbarān: the Haihayas and Barbaras
• haihaya-barbarān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haihaya + barbara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व ‘the Haihayas and the Barbaras’

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negative particle)

• avadhīt: killed
• avadhīt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-han (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘killed/struck down’

• guru-vākyena: by the guru’s command
• guru-vākyena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru + vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘by the teacher’s word/command’

• cakre: made
• cakre: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘made/did’

• vikṛta-veṣiṇaḥ: (them) in distorted disguises
• vikṛta-veṣiṇaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vi-kṛta + veṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; ‘those having altered disguises’

Characters & Entities

• Tālajaṅgha
• Yavana
• Śaka
• Haihaya
• Barbara

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about obeying the guru’s order?

This verse highlights that even in matters of punishment, one should follow the guru’s instruction; the king refrained from killing and instead imposed a corrective, non-lethal consequence.

Who is speaking in Srimad Bhagavatam 9.8.5 and to whom?

Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates this history to King Parīkṣit while describing events connected with the Sagara dynasty and related lineages.

What is the practical lesson of this verse for modern life?

Discipline guided by higher wisdom should be restrained and purposeful—avoid unnecessary harm, and apply consequences that reform rather than merely retaliate.