Shloka 17

Devanagari script

यजमानांस्तु तान्‌ दृष्टवा सर्वान्‌ दीक्षानुकर्शितान्‌ । हन्तुमैच्छन्त शैलाभा: खलिनो नाम दानवा:

Transliteration

yajamānāṁs tu tān dṛṣṭvā sarvān dīkṣānukarśitān | hantum aicchanta śailābhāḥ khalino nāma dānavāḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: Thấy tất cả những người chủ tế—ai nấy đều gầy mòn vì kỷ luật của lễ thọ giới (dīkṣā)—bọn Dānavas tên Khalin, thân hình như núi, liền khởi ý muốn giết họ. Sự việc này cho thấy kẻ yếu đi vì lời nguyện thiêng dễ trở thành mục tiêu của phi pháp (adharma), và bạo lực nhằm vào một yajña bị xem là tội lỗi nặng, tất yếu kéo theo xung đột.

Word by Word

• यजमानान्: the sacrificers (patrons of the sacrifice)
• यजमानान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: यजमान
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• तान्: those (them)
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund)

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• दीक्षा: by (their) consecration/vow
• दीक्षा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीक्षा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• अनुकर्शितान्: emaciated/dragged down (made lean)
• अनुकर्शितान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनु-कृष्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• हन्तुम्: to kill
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: तुमुन् (infinitive)

• ऐच्छन्त: they desired/wished
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष्
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• शैलाभाः: mountain-like (in appearance/body)
• शैलाभाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शैलाभ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• खलिनः: Khalins (a named group/tribe)
• खलिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: खलिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नाम: by name/called
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम

• दानवाः: demons/Daityas (Danavas)
• दानवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• yajamānas (sacrificers)
• dīkṣā (consecration/vow)
• Khalin (Dānavas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Harming those engaged in yajña and weakened by dīkṣā is portrayed as adharma; sacred observance deserves protection, and aggression against it becomes a moral fault that precipitates justified resistance and wider conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

The Dānavas called Khalin see the sacrificers (devas/ritual performers) grown thin from consecration vows and decide to kill them, setting the stage for a clash between opposing forces over the integrity of the sacrifice.