Shloka 38

Dvaipāyana-hrade Duryodhanasya Māyā — Yudhiṣṭhirasya Dharmoktiḥ (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 30)

Devanagari script

तेषां तद्‌ वचन श्रुत्वा चाराणां भरतर्षभ | चिन्तामभ्यगमत्‌ तीव्रां नि:शश्वास च पार्थिव:,भरतश्रेष्ठ! उन गुप्तचरोंकी बात सुनकर राजा युधिष्ठिर घोर चिन्तामें पड़ गये और लंबी साँस खींचने लगे

Transliteration

teṣāṁ tad vacanaṁ śrutvā cārāṇāṁ bharatarṣabha | cintām abhyagamat tīvrāṁ niḥśaśvāsa ca pārthivaḥ ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：“噢，婆罗多族中的雄牛！国王听罢那些密探的言语，顿被强烈的忧惧所攫，长长叹息一声——心神内敛，思量法义之责与战争迫近的沉重后果。”

Word by Word

तेषाम्of them

तत्that

वचनम्speech, statement

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

चाराणाम्of the spies

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas

चिन्ताम्worry, anxiety

अभ्यगमत्went into, fell into, reached

तीव्राम्intense, severe

निःशश्वासsighed, breathed out deeply

चand

पार्थिवःthe king

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

cāra (spies/scouts)

pārthiva (the king—contextually Yudhiṣṭhira)

Bharata lineage (address: bharatarṣabha)

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 the ethical weight borne by a righteous ruler: reliable intelligence can intensify responsibility rather than relieve it, because a king must respond in a way consistent with dharma while facing the harsh necessities of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that after hearing the scouts’ confidential report, the king (understood here as Yudhiṣṭhira) is overwhelmed by severe चिंता (anxiety) and lets out a long, heavy sigh—signaling grave concern about the situation and its consequences.