Shloka 20

Vasiṣṭhasya śokaḥ, Vipāśā–Śatadrū-nāmākaraṇam, Kalmāṣapādasya bhaya-prasaṅgaḥ (Ādi Parva 167)

Devanagari script

त॑ं वै गच्छस्व नृपते स त्वां संयाजयिष्यति । जुगुप्समानो नृपतिर्मनसेदं विचिन्तयन्‌,“राजन! तुम उन्हींके पास जाओ। वे तुम्हारा यज्ञ करा देंगे।” राजा ट्रपद उपयाजकी बात सुनकर याजके इस चरित्रकी मन-ही-मन निन्दा करने लगे, तो भी अपने कार्यका विचार करके याजके आश्रमपर गये और पूजनीय याज मुनिका पूजन करके तब उनसे इस प्रकार बोले---

Transliteration

taṁ vai gacchasva nṛpate sa tvāṁ saṁyājayiṣyati | jugupsamāno nṛpatir manasedaṁ vicintayan |

Translation

婆罗门说道：“大王，去见他吧；他必能为你如法完成祭祀。”杜卢帕陀王听了这番劝告，虽在心中厌憎并暗自责难那祭司的行径，却仍权衡自身所图，遂前往祭司的住林。及至礼敬了可敬的圣者耶阇，王便如此开口说道。

Word by Word

• {'taṁ': 'him

• that person (accusative singular)', 'vai': 'indeed

• surely (emphatic particle)', 'gacchasva': 'go (2nd person singular, imperative, middle)', 'nṛpate': 'O king (vocative of nṛpati)', 'saḥ': 'he', 'tvām': 'you (accusative singular)', 'saṁyājayiṣyati': 'will cause (you) to perform a sacrifice

• will officiate and conduct the sacrifice properly (causative future of √yaj)', 'jugupsamānaḥ': 'feeling disgust/repugnance

• condemning inwardly (present participle of √gup in desiderative/denominative sense as used here)', 'nṛpatiḥ': 'the king', 'manasā': 'in the mind

• mentally (instrumental singular)', 'idam': 'this', 'vicintayan': 'reflecting

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (Brahmin speaker)
• नृपति / राजा (the king; identified in the prose context as Drupada)
• याज मुनि (Sage Yāja, the officiating priest)
• आश्रम (hermitage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights ethical tension: even when one feels moral revulsion toward another’s conduct, one may still act pragmatically for a larger objective—yet the narrative frames this as an inner conflict that invites reflection on righteous means (dharma) in pursuing desired ends.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Brahmin advises the king to approach a particular priest who can conduct his sacrifice. The king, though inwardly disapproving, goes to the sage Yāja’s hermitage, honors him, and prepares to speak—setting up the next exchange about arranging the sacrifice.