Shloka 19

Adhyāya 174: Karma as an inescapable companion (कर्मानुगमन-उपदेश)

Devanagari script

संस्मृत्य चापि सुमहदाख्यानं भरतर्षभ । मयापि भवते सर्व यथावदनुवर्णितम्‌

Transliteration

saṃsmṛtya cāpi sumahad ākhyānaṃ bharatarṣabha | mayāpi bhavate sarvaṃ yathāvad anuvarṇitam ||

Translation

Hỡi bậc tráng kiệt trong dòng Bharata, nhớ lại câu chuyện vĩ đại ấy, ta cũng đã thuật lại cho ngươi trọn vẹn, đúng như lẽ phải kể—trung thực và theo đúng trật tự.

Word by Word

• संस्मृत्य: having remembered
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

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

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• सुमहत्: very great
• सुमहत्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमहत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आख्यानम्: narrative/account
• आख्यानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आख्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• भरतर्षभ: O bull among the Bharatas
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत + ऋषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Instrumental, Singular

• अपि: also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• भवते: to you
• भवते: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• सर्वम्: everything/entirely
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• यथावत्: properly/as it should be
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथावत्

• अनुवर्णितम्: has been described/related
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + वर्णय् (धातु) / वर्णित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular, कर्मणि (passive sense)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Bharatarṣabha (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• sumahat ākhyāna (a great narrative/account)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes faithful transmission of dharma-teaching through accurate recollection and proper narration—telling an account completely, truthfully, and in due order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, addressing Yudhiṣṭhira as ‘Bharatarṣabha,’ concludes or frames a teaching by stating that he has remembered a great traditional account and has narrated it to the king fully and correctly.