Shloka 14

Bhīṣma Parva, Adhyāya 4 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Vyāsa Saṃvāda on Kāla and Jayalakṣaṇa

Signs of Victory

Devanagari script

उद्धिज्जा: स्थावरा: प्रोक्तास्तेषां पजचैव जातय: । वृक्षगुल्मलतावलल्‍ल्यस्त्वक्सारास्तृणजातय:

Transliteration

uddhijāḥ sthāvarāḥ proktās teṣāṃ pañcaiva jātayaḥ | vṛkṣa-gulma-latā-vallī-tvak-sārās tṛṇa-jātayaḥ ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：凡由萌芽而生者，称为“不动者”（植物）。据说其类有五：树木、灌木、蔓草、攀缘藤萝，以及内芯纤维或似树皮之质者（如竹）。此等皆摄入草木之类。

Word by Word

• उद्भिज्जाः: sprouting beings (plants, those that sprout from the earth)
• उद्भिज्जाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद्भिज्ज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• स्थावराः: immobile beings
• स्थावराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थावर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रोक्ताः: are said/called
• प्रोक्ताः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, क्त (past passive participle)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Karma
• Type: Numeral
• Root: पञ्च
• Form: true

• एव: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव
• Form: true

• जातयः: kinds/classes
• जातयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• वृक्ष: tree
• वृक्ष: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• गुल्म: shrub/bush
• गुल्म: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुल्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• लता: creeper (vine)
• लता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: लता
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• वल्ली: climbing plant/tendril-creeper
• वल्ली: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वल्ली
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• त्वक्साराः: those having bark as essence (e.g., bamboo etc.)
• त्वक्साराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वक्सार
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तृणजातयः: grass-type kinds (belonging to the grass group)
• तृणजातयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृणजाति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• sthāvara (immobile beings/plants)
• uddhija (sprout-born plants)
• vṛkṣa
• gulma
• latā
• vallī
• tvaksāra (e.g., bamboo)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents a traditional Mahābhārata-style classification of plant life: sprout-born, immobile beings are grouped into five recognizable botanical categories, emphasizing an ordered view of nature.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing categories of living beings in an enumerative, instructional manner, listing the five types of plant (sthāvara/uddhija) forms.