Shloka 20

Bhīmasena’s Counsel on Grief, Inner Conflict, and the Duty of Kingship (भीमसेन-उपदेशः)

Devanagari script

जटासुरात्‌ परिकलेशं चित्रसेनेन चाहवम्‌ । सैन्धवाच्च परिक्लेशं कथं विस्मृतवानसि

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Jaṭāsurāt parikleśaṃ Citraseṇena cāhavam | Saindhavāc ca parikleśaṃ kathaṃ vismṛtavān asi ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Sao ngài quên được nỗi khốn khổ do Jaṭāsura gây ra, trận chiến ngài buộc phải giao tranh với Citraseṇa, và nỗi nhục nhã đau đớn do vua xứ Sindhu (Jayadratha) giáng xuống? Làm sao những trải nghiệm ấy có thể tuột khỏi ký ức ngài?”

Word by Word

• जटासुरात्: from Jatāsura
• जटासुरात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जटासुर
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• परिक्लेशम्: distress, hardship
• परिक्लेशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिक्लेश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• चित्रसेनेन: by/with Citraseṇa
• चित्रसेनेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्रसेन
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• आहवम्: battle, combat
• आहवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सैन्धवात्: from the Sindhu-king (Jayadratha)
• सैन्धवात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्धव
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• परिक्लेशम्: distress, hardship
• परिक्लेशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिक्लेश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कथम्: how?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

• विस्मृतवान्: having forgotten / (you) forgot
• विस्मृतवान्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: विस्मृ
• Form: क्तवतुँ (past active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• असि: you are
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present (Lat), Second, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Jaṭāsura
• Citraseṇa
• Saindhava (Jayadratha)
• Sindhu (kingdom)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores moral recollection: past hardships and humiliations are meant to inform present judgment and restraint. Forgetting the lessons of suffering can lead one to repeat errors and lose ethical clarity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reminds the listener of three earlier ordeals—trouble from Jaṭāsura, a battle with the Gandharva Citraseṇa, and the disgrace caused by Jayadratha—challenging how such significant events could be forgotten.