Shloka 114

Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition

Devanagari script

देशाचारान्‌ समयाञ्जातिधर्मान्‌ बुभूषते यः: स परावरज्ञ: । स यत्र तत्राभिगत: सदैव महाजनस्याधिपत्यं करोति

Transliteration

deśācārān samayān jātidharmān bubhūṣate yaḥ sa parāvarajñaḥ | sa yatra tatrābhigataḥ sadaiva mahājanasya adhipatyaṃ karoti ||

Translation

من يبتغي أن يفهم على حقيقتها عادات البلاد، وما يلائم كل مقام من سلوك، وواجبات الجماعات المختلفة في الدارما، ينل بصيرة تميّز بين الرفيع والوضيع. وأينما حلّ أقام بطبعه سلطانًا ونفوذًا على المجامع العظيمة من الناس.

Word by Word

• {'deśa-ācārān': 'customs and practices of a region/country', 'samayān': 'occasions

• proper times and situational norms', 'jāti-dharmān': 'duties/laws proper to social groups or communities', 'bubhūṣate': 'desires to know

• seeks to understand (intensively)', 'yaḥ': 'who (the person who)', 'saḥ': 'he (such a person)', 'parāvara-jñaḥ': 'knower of higher and lower

• one with discernment of relative worth', 'yatra tatra': 'wherever

• in any place', 'abhigataḥ': 'having arrived

• having approached/entered', 'sadaiva': 'always

• invariably', 'mahā-janasya': 'of the great people/large public

• of eminent persons or a great assembly', 'adhipatyam': 'lordship

• mastery', 'karoti': 'does

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• mahājana (great people/assembly)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True leadership arises from practical wisdom: understanding local customs (deśācāra), situational propriety (samaya), and community duties (jātidharma) gives one discernment (parāvara-jñāna), enabling effective and respected authority among people.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vidura’s counsel during the Udyoga Parva, he articulates a principle of statecraft and conduct: a person who studies and understands social norms and dharma as actually practiced becomes capable of guiding and influencing assemblies wherever he goes.