Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 38
Devanagari script
अब्रवीद् दुःखसंक्रुद्धो विश्वामित्रो हामर्षण: । यस्मान्मां त्वं सरिच्छेछ्ठे वज्चयित्वा पुनर्गता
Transliteration
abravīd duḥkhasaṁkruddho viśvāmitro hāmarṣaṇaḥ | yasmān māṁ tvaṁ saricchreṣṭhe vañcayitvā punar gatā ||
Translation
毗湿瓦密多悲怒交炽，怀着怨愤说道：“诸河之最啊，既然你欺我之后又复离去……”
Word by Word
अब्रवीत्said/spoke
अब्रवीत्:
TypeVerb
Rootब्रू
Formलुङ् (Aorist), 3, singular, परस्मैपद
दुःख-संक्रुद्धःenraged due to grief
दुःख-संक्रुद्धः:
TypeAdjective
Rootदुःख + संक्रुद्ध
Formmasculine, nominative, singular
विश्वामित्रःVishvamitra
विश्वामित्रः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootविश्वामित्र
Formmasculine, nominative, singular
अमर्षणःimpatient/irascible
अमर्षणः:
TypeAdjective
Rootअमर्षण
Formmasculine, nominative, singular
यस्मात्since/because
यस्मात्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयद्
Formablative singular (used adverbially)
माम्me
माम्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootअस्मद्
Formcommon, accusative, singular
त्वम्you
त्वम्:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootयुष्मद्
Formcommon, nominative, singular
सरित्-श्रेष्ठेin the best of rivers
सरित्-श्रेष्ठे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootसरित् + श्रेष्ठ
Formfeminine, locative, singular
वञ्चयित्वाhaving deceived
वञ्चयित्वा:
TypeVerb
Rootवञ्च्
Formक्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), active, prior action
पुनःagain
पुनः:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपुनः
Formadverb
गताःgone/returned
गताः:
TypeVerb
Rootगम्
Formक्त (past passive participle), feminine, nominative, singular
Speaker
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Characters & Entities
V
VasiṣṭhaV
ViśvāmitraA
a river (addressed as 'best of rivers')Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how grief can quickly harden into anger and resentment, leading to accusatory speech. Ethically, it cautions that when one feels wronged or deceived, reacting from wounded emotion can intensify conflict rather than restore dharma.
Vasiṣṭha narrates that Viśvāmitra, distressed and furious, addresses a river—calling her ‘best of rivers’—and accuses her of deceiving him and then returning again, setting up a confrontation driven by perceived betrayal.