Shloka 63

Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154

Devanagari script

प्रज्ञाविज्ञानयुक्तेन बुद्धिसंज्ञाप्रदायिना । वचन श्राविता नून॑ मानुषा: संनिवर्तत । शोको द्विगुणतां याति दृष्टवा स्मृत्वा च चेष्टितम्‌,मनुष्यो! मैं बुद्धि और विज्ञानसे युक्त तथा दूसरोंको भी ज्ञान प्रदान करनेवाला हूँ। मैंने तुम्हें विवेक उत्पन्न करनेवाली बहुत-सी बातें सुनायी हैं। अब तुमलोग लौट जाओ। अपने मरे हुए स्वजनका शव देखकर तथा उसकी चेष्टाओंको स्मरण करके दूना शोक होता है

Transliteration

jambuka uvāca | prajñāvijñānayuktena buddhisaṃjñāpradāyinā | vacanaṃ śrāvitā nūnaṃ mānuṣāḥ saṃnivartata | śoko dviguṇatāṃ yāti dṛṣṭvā smṛtvā ca ceṣṭitam |

Translation

জম্বুকে ক’লে—মই প্ৰজ্ঞা আৰু বিজ্ঞানৰে যুক্ত, আৰু আনকো বোধ দান কৰিব পৰা। বিবেক জাগাবলৈ বহু কথা মই তোমালোকক শুনাইছোঁ; এতিয়া, হে মানুহবোৰ, উভতি যোৱা। কিয়নো মৃত স্বজনৰ দেহ দেখি আৰু তাৰ আগৰ চেষ্টাবোৰ স্মৰণ কৰিলে শোক দ্বিগুণ হয়।

Word by Word

प्रज्ञा-विज्ञान-युक्तेनwith (one) endowed with wisdom and knowledge

बुद्धि-संज्ञा-प्रदायिनाby (one) who bestows the notion/understanding called ‘buddhi’ (i.e., gives discernment)

वचनम्speech; words

श्राविताःhave been made to hear; have been instructed

नूनम्surely; indeed; now

मानुषाःmen; humans

संनिवर्ततreturn; turn back

शोकःgrief

द्वि-गुणताम्to a twofold state; to double (measure)

यातिgoes; becomes

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

स्मृत्वाhaving remembered

चand

चेष्टितम्conduct; actions; movements (of the deceased)

Speaker

जम्बुक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Jambuka

humans (mānuṣāḥ)

corpse/body of a deceased relative (implied)

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?

Grief intensifies through repeated sensory contact and mental replay: seeing the dead body and remembering the person’s past conduct makes sorrow grow. Therefore one should withdraw from stimuli that inflame lamentation and cultivate discriminative understanding (buddhi/prajñā) to steady the mind.

What is happening in the narrative?

Jambuka addresses people who are mourning. After giving them instruction intended to awaken discernment, he urges them to return/withdraw, warning that remaining near the corpse and repeatedly recalling the deceased will only double their grief.