Shloka 12

Brahmaṇānāṃ Yācanā—Tīrtha-yātrā-prastāvaḥ

The Brahmanas’ Petition and the Proposal of Pilgrimage

Devanagari script

तत्‌ समन्त्रं ससंहारं सप्रायश्रित्तमड्रलम्‌ । वज्मस्त्राणि चान्यानि दण्डादीनि युधिष्ठिर,'युधिष्ठिर! रुद्र देवताका वह वज्रके समान दुर्भद्य अस्त्र मन्त्र, उपसंहार, प्रायश्चित्त और मंगलसहित अर्जुनने पा लिया है। साथ ही, दण्ड आदि अन्य अस्त्र भी उन्होंने हस्तगत कर लिये हैं

Transliteration

tat samantraṃ sasaṃhāraṃ saprāyaścittamaṅgalam | vajrāstrāṇi cānyāni daṇḍādīni yudhiṣṭhira ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hỡi Yudhiṣṭhira, Arjuna đã thụ đắc những thần khí của Rudra, dữ dội như lôi đình—đầy đủ chân ngôn, phép thu hồi (saṃhāra), các nghi thức sám hối (prāyaścitta) và những nghi lễ cát tường mở đầu. Chàng cũng nắm được nhiều vũ khí khác nữa, như những loại khởi đầu bằng cây trượng (daṇḍa).”

Word by Word

तत्that (weapon/thing)

समन्त्रम्with its mantra

ससंहारम्with its withdrawal/recall (upasaṃhāra)

सप्रायश्चित्तम्with expiation/atonement (prayāścitta)

अमङ्गलम्inauspicious/ill-omened

वज्रास्त्राणिvajra-like weapons / thunderbolt-weapons

चand

अन्यानिother

दण्डादीनिstaff etc. (weapons beginning with the staff)

युधिष्ठिरO Yudhiṣṭhira

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira

Arjuna

Rudra

vajrāstra (thunderbolt-like weapons)

daṇḍa (staff weapon)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that legitimate power requires complete discipline: knowing the mantra to deploy it, the saṃhāra to withdraw it, and prāyaścitta and maṅgala to keep action aligned with dharma. Mastery includes restraint and accountability, not only force.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports to Yudhiṣṭhira that Arjuna has successfully acquired formidable Rudra-related weapons, along with the full procedural knowledge—invocation, withdrawal, auspicious rites, and expiations—and additionally other weapons such as staff-type arms.