Shloka 12

भीमस्य जलान्वेषणं तथा वनविश्रान्तिः

Bhīma’s Search for Water and the Forest Halt

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच पूर्वमेव तु सम्मन्त्रय पार्थो द्रोणमथाब्रवीत्‌ | दर्पोद्रेकात्‌ कुमाराणामाचार्य द्विजसत्तमम्‌

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca pūrvam eva tu sammantrya pārtho droṇam athābravīt | darpodrekāt kumārāṇām ācārya dvijasattamam ||

Translation

毗舍波耶那说道：帕尔塔（阿周那）先行商议筹谋，随后对多罗那——师长、亦为“再生者”中之最胜——开口说道。诸王子因自恃力勇而骄气横溢，故阿周那向这位婆罗门导师进言，意在以审慎谋议导正局势，而非徒逞狂勇。

Word by Word

• {'vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'pūrvam eva': 'indeed beforehand

• in advance', 'sammantrya': 'having consulted

• having deliberated together', 'pārthaḥ': 'son of Pṛthā

• Arjuna', 'droṇam': 'Droṇa (the martial preceptor)', 'atha': 'then

• thereafter', 'abravīt': 'said

• spoke', 'darpodrekāt': 'from an upsurge/excess of pride (darpa + udreka)', 'kumārāṇām': 'of the princes

• royal youths', 'ācārya': 'teacher

• preceptor', 'dvijasattamam': 'the best of the twice-born (an honorific for an eminent Brahmin)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Droṇa
• kumārāḥ (the princes)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical value of prior deliberation (sammantra) and restraint: when pride inflates the behavior of the young princes, a responsible agent (Arjuna) approaches the teacher to steer action through counsel rather than ego-driven display.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, Arjuna—after consulting beforehand—speaks to Droṇa. The context given is that the princes are overconfident and proud of their strength, prompting Arjuna to address the preceptor to manage or correct the situation.