Shloka 18

Arjuna’s request to Krishna and the opening of the Kāśyapa–Brāhmaṇa mokṣa discourse (Āśvamedhika-parva 16)

Devanagari script

तत्‌ ते5हं सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि यथावन्मधुसूदन । शृणुष्वावहितो भूत्वा गदतो मम माधव

Transliteration

tat te 'haṃ sampravakṣyāmi yathāvan madhusūdana | śṛṇuṣvāvahito bhūtvā gadato mama mādhava ||

Translation

“Hỡi Madhusūdana, nay ta sẽ giảng cho ngài đúng như thật. Hỡi Mādhava, hãy lắng nghe với trọn vẹn sự chú tâm điều ta đang nói.”

Word by Word

• {'tat': 'that (matter), that question/teaching', 'te': 'to you', 'aham (’haṃ)': 'I', 'sampravakṣyāmi': 'I will explain fully

• I will expound', 'yathāvat': 'as it truly is

• in due order', 'madhusūdana': 'slayer of Madhu

• epithet of Kṛṣṇa', 'śṛṇuṣva': 'listen! (imperative)', 'āvahitaḥ': 'attentive

• concentrated', 'bhūtvā': 'having become

• being', 'gadataḥ': 'of (me) speaking

• while speaking', 'mama': 'my', 'mādhava': 'descendant of Madhu

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (Brāhmaṇa speaker)
• श्रीकृष्ण (Kṛṣṇa)
• मधुसूदन (Madhusūdana)
• माधव (Mādhava)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames the ethical posture of instruction: truthful, orderly exposition (yathāvat) offered to dispel delusion, and the necessity of attentive listening (āvahita) for receiving mokṣa-oriented dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

A brāhmaṇa addresses Kṛṣṇa (as Madhusūdana/Mādhava), announcing that he will now answer Kṛṣṇa’s question connected with mokṣa-dharma, and urges Kṛṣṇa to listen carefully to the forthcoming explanation.