Shloka 123

Devanagari script

युधिछिर उवाच श्यामो य एष रक्ताक्षो बृहच्छाल इवोत्थित: । व्यूढोरस्को महाबाहुर्नकुलो यक्ष जीवतु,युधिष्ठिर बोले--यक्ष! यह जो श्यामवर्ण, अरुणनयन, सुविशाल शालवृक्षके समान ऊँचा और चौड़ी छातीवाला महाबाहु नकुल है, वही जीवित हो जाय

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: śyāmo ya eṣa raktākṣo bṛhacchāla ivotthitaḥ | vyūḍhorasko mahābāhur nakulo yakṣa jīvatu ||

Translation

尤狄湿提罗说道：“夜叉啊，让那俱罗活下去——此英雄肤色黝黑、目光微赤，挺立如巨大的娑罗树，胸膛宽阔，臂力雄强。”

Word by Word

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

उवाचsaid

यक्षO Yakṣa

श्यामःdark-complexioned

यःwho

एषःthis

रक्ताक्षःred-eyed

बृहच्छालःlike a great śāla-tree (great-śāla)

इवlike, as

उत्थितःrisen, standing up

व्यूढोरस्कःbroad-chested

महाबाहुःmighty-armed

नकुलःNakula

जीवतुlet (him) live

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Yakṣa

Nakula

śāla tree

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?

Even under extreme pressure, Yudhiṣṭhira’s choice is guided by dharma: he weighs fairness and duty rather than mere personal preference, showing ethical discernment and responsibility toward family obligations.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Yakṣa episode at the lake, Yudhiṣṭhira is granted a choice to revive one of his fallen brothers. Here he identifies Nakula by his features and asks the Yakṣa to restore Nakula to life.