Shloka 20

आदि पर्व, अध्याय 139 — Hiḍimba’s Detection and Hiḍimbā’s Approach to Bhīma

Devanagari script

त्रिवर्षकृतयज्ञस्तु गन्धर्वाणामुपप्लवे । अर्जुनप्रमुखै: पार्थ: सौवीर: समरे हत:,सौवीर देशका राजा, जो गन्धर्वोंके उपद्रव करनेपर भी लगातार तीन वर्षोतक बिना किसी विघ्न-बाधाके यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान करता रहा, युद्धमें अर्जुन आदि पाण्डवोंके हाथों मारा गया। पराक्रमी राजा पाण्डु भी जिसे वशमें न ला सके थे, उस यवनदेश (यूनान)-के राजाको भी जीतकर अर्जुनने अपने अधीन कर लिया

Transliteration

trivarṣa-kṛta-yajñas tu gandharvāṇām upaplave | arjuna-pramukhaiḥ pārthaḥ sauvīraḥ samare hataḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩耶那说道：纵然乾闼婆屡作扰乱，苏毗罗之王仍无间断地连行祭祀三年；然而在战场上，他终被帕尔塔（阿周那）与诸般度子所诛。此段重申《摩诃婆罗多》常见的伦理：祭仪之功德与坚守供祭，并不足以独保世间安稳——刹帝利之权势、政治之冲突与往昔业报，仍可能汇聚成血腥的结局。

Word by Word

त्रिवर्षकृतयज्ञःone who has performed sacrifices for three years

तुbut/indeed

गन्धर्वाणाम्of the Gandharvas

उपप्लवेin the disturbance/onslaught

अर्जुनप्रमुखैःby those led by Arjuna

पार्थःthe son of Pritha (Arjuna)

सौवीरःthe king of Sauvira (Sauvira)

समरेin battle

हतःslain

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Arjuna (Pārtha)

Pāṇḍavas

Gandharvas

Sauvīra (Sauvīra-deśa)

Yajña (sacrifice)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that ritual steadfastness (continuous yajña) is ethically significant but does not automatically shield one from political and martial outcomes; in the Mahābhārata, dharma includes both ritual order and the hard realities of kṣatriya conflict and karmic consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports that the king of Sauvīra, famed for conducting sacrifices for three uninterrupted years despite Gandharva disturbances, was nevertheless killed in battle by Arjuna and the other Pāṇḍavas.