Shloka 19

Adhyāya 174: Karma as an inescapable companion (कर्मानुगमन-उपदेश)

Devanagari script

संस्मृत्य चापि सुमहदाख्यानं भरतर्षभ । मयापि भवते सर्व यथावदनुवर्णितम्‌

Transliteration

saṃsmṛtya cāpi sumahad ākhyānaṃ bharatarṣabha | mayāpi bhavate sarvaṃ yathāvad anuvarṇitam ||

Translation

婆罗多族中的雄牛啊，我忆起那宏大的叙事，也已如其应当被讲述的那样，将一切完整地告诉了你——忠实无欺，次第分明。

Word by Word

• संस्मृत्य: having remembered
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• सुमहत्: very great
• सुमहत्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमहत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आख्यानम्: narrative/account
• आख्यानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आख्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• भरतर्षभ: O bull among the Bharatas
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत + ऋषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Instrumental, Singular

• अपि: also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• भवते: to you
• भवते: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• सर्वम्: everything/entirely
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• यथावत्: properly/as it should be
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथावत्

• अनुवर्णितम्: has been described/related
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + वर्णय् (धातु) / वर्णित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular, कर्मणि (passive sense)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Bharatarṣabha (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• sumahat ākhyāna (a great narrative/account)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes faithful transmission of dharma-teaching through accurate recollection and proper narration—telling an account completely, truthfully, and in due order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, addressing Yudhiṣṭhira as ‘Bharatarṣabha,’ concludes or frames a teaching by stating that he has remembered a great traditional account and has narrated it to the king fully and correctly.