Shloka 20

Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context

Devanagari script

स सुनाभं सहस्रारं वजनाभमयस्मयम्‌ । वत्रे चक्रं महाभागो मत्त: स्पर्धन्मया सह

Transliteration

sa sunābhaṁ sahasrāraṁ vajranābham ayasmayam | vavre cakraṁ mahābhāgo mattaḥ spardhan mayā saha ||

Translation

毗舍波耶那说道：“于是，那位显赫之人怀着与我争胜之心，向我索取我的铁制轮刃——其毂华美，中央嵌有金刚雷霆，千辐辉映。”

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सुनाभम्: having a beautiful hub/navel
• सुनाभम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुनाभ
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सहस्रारम्: having a thousand spokes
• सहस्रारम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्रार
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वजनाभम्: with a vajra-like hub / with vajra in the hub
• वजनाभम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वजनाभ
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अयस्मयम्: made of iron
• अयस्मयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अयस्मय
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वव्रे: asked for / requested
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (वृणोति/वृणुते)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• चक्रम्: discus, wheel-weapon
• चक्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• महाभागः: the illustrious one
• महाभागः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभाग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मत्तः: from me
• मत्तः: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Ablative, Singular

• स्पर्धन्: competing, vying
• स्पर्धन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्पर्ध्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मया: with me / by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Instrumental, Singular

• सह: with
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• cakra (iron discus/weapon)
• vajra (thunderbolt)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how rivalry and the desire to possess instruments of power can persist even after catastrophic violence; ethically, it points to the danger of treating weapons as trophies rather than reflecting on restraint and responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that an illustrious figure, acting in competition with the speaker, asks him for a specific iron discus described in detail—beautiful at the hub, vajra-set, and thousand-spoked—emphasizing the weapon’s formidable and symbolic character.