Shloka 48

Jarāsandha–Bhīma Niyuddha-prastāvaḥ

Commencement of the Regulated Duel

Devanagari script

एवमुक्ते ततः कृष्ण: प्रत्युवाच महामना: । स्निग्धगम्भीरया वाचा वाक्यं वाक्यविशारद:,जरासंधके ऐसा कहनेपर बोलनेमें चतुर महामना श्रीकृष्ण स्निग्ध एवं गम्भीर वाणीमें इस प्रकार बोले

Transliteration

evam ukte tataḥ kṛṣṇaḥ pratyuvāca mahāmanāḥ | snigdha-gambhīrayā vācā vākyaṁ vākya-viśāradaḥ ||

Translation

Nghe vậy, Kṛṣṇa—bậc cao tâm, tinh thông lời lẽ—liền đáp lại bằng giọng nói vừa ân cần vừa trầm tĩnh, như báo hiệu một bước ngoặt của câu chuyện.

Word by Word

एवम्thus

उक्तेwhen (it was) said

ततःthen/thereupon

कृष्णःKrishna

प्रत्युवाचreplied/answered

महामनाःthe great-souled

स्निग्धगम्भीरयाwith a gentle and deep

वाचाspeech/voice

वाक्यम्words/sentence

वाक्यविशारदःskilled in speech

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Kṛṣṇa

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

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical power of speech: a wise leader responds with words that are both compassionate (snigdha) and serious (gambhīra), indicating self-control, discernment, and responsibility in counsel.

What is happening in the narrative?

After someone has spoken, the narrator (Vaiśampāyana) reports that Kṛṣṇa now answers. The verse functions as a transition into Kṛṣṇa’s considered reply, emphasizing his mastery of appropriate speech before the ensuing decision or strategy.