Shloka 20

Droṇotpattiḥ and Dhanurveda-Prāpti

Origin of Droṇa and Acquisition of Martial Science

Devanagari script

अपुत्रा पुरुषव्याप्र विललापेति न: श्रुतम्‌ । भद्रा परमदु:खार्ता तन्निबोध जनाधिप

Transliteration

aputrā puruṣavyāghra vilalāpeti naḥ śrutam | bhadrā paramaduḥkhārtā tannibodha janādhipa ||

Translation

毗湿摩波衍那说道：“噢，人中之虎啊，我们听说婆陀罗无子，因此哀号。被最深的悲痛所压迫，她放声哭诉——大王，请听。”

Word by Word

• अपुत्रा: sonless
• अपुत्रा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपुत्र (a-putra)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• पुरुषव्याघ्र: O tiger among men
• पुरुषव्याघ्र: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुषव्याघ्र
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• विललाप: lamented
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-लप्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• नः: of us / our
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Plural

• श्रुतम्: heard (it is heard/has been heard)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• भद्रा: Bhadrā
• भद्रा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्रा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• परमदुःखार्ता: afflicted with extreme sorrow
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम-दुःख-आर्त
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तत्: that (lamentation/matter)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• निबोध: understand / hear (attend to)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-बुध्
• Form: Imperative, 2nd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• जनाधिप: O lord of people
• जनाधिप: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनाधिप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Bhadrā
• janādhipa (the king addressed)
• puruṣavyāghra (the man addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the social and dharmic weight placed on progeny and lineage in epic culture, showing how childlessness can become a source of intense personal suffering; it also models attentive listening to a narrated tradition as a means of learning.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports to the king that Bhadrā had no son and, distressed by this, began to lament; he invites the listener to hear the account of her lamentation.