Shloka 20

Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha

Devanagari script

इत्यवश्यं मयैतद्‌ वो वक्तव्यं द्विजसत्तमा: । शृणुताव्यग्रमनस: शंसतो मे यथातथम्‌

Transliteration

ity avaśyaṁ mayaitad vo vaktavyaṁ dvijasattamāḥ | śṛṇutāvyagramanasaḥ śaṁsato me yathātatham ||

Translation

“诸位最上等的二生者啊，我确有必要将其中缘由告知你们。如今请以不散乱之心安静聆听，我将如实、如其所发生地叙述。”

Word by Word

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

• अवश्यम्: certainly, necessarily
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अवश्य

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: common, instrumental, singular

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• वः: to you (all)
• वः: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: common, dative, plural

• वक्तव्यम्: to be said; must be told
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: gerundive (तव्यत्), neuter, nominative, singular

• द्विजसत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजसत्तम
• Form: masculine, vocative, plural

• शृणुत: hear, listen
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: imperative, 2nd, plural, parasmaipada

• अव्यग्रमनसः: O (you) with undistracted minds
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यग्रमनस्
• Form: masculine, vocative, plural

• शंसतः: of (me) speaking/telling
• Type: Verb
• Root: शंस्
• Form: present active participle, masculine, genitive, singular

• मे: of me, my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: common, genitive, singular

• यथा: as, in the manner that
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• तथा: so, accordingly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• dvijas (brāhmaṇas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes truthful narration (yathātatham) and disciplined listening (avyagramanasaḥ): ethical communication requires both a responsible speaker and attentive, calm-minded hearers.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses the assembled brāhmaṇas, stating that he must explain the cause of a matter and asking them to listen attentively as he recounts events exactly as they occurred.