Shloka 12

Devanagari script

एषो<अस्त्रविदुषां श्रेष्ठ एब धर्मभूृतां वर: । एष शीलवतां चापि शीलज्ञाननिधि: पर:

Transliteration

eṣo 'straviduṣāṃ śreṣṭha eṣa dharmabhṛtāṃ varaḥ | eṣa śīlavatāṃ cāpi śīlajñānanidhiḥ paraḥ ||

Translation

ইনি অস্ত্রবিদ্যায় পারদর্শীদের মধ্যে শ্রেষ্ঠ; ইনি ধর্মধারীদের মধ্যে উত্তম। আর শীলবানদের মধ্যেও ইনি সর্বোচ্চ—শীল ও জ্ঞানের পরম ভাণ্ডার॥

Word by Word

एषःthis (man)

अस्त्रविदुषाम्of the knowers of weapons

श्रेष्ठःthe best

एषःthis (man)

धर्मभृताम्of the upholders of dharma

वरःthe foremost/excellent one

एषःthis (man)

शीलवताम्of the virtuous/characterful

चand

अपिalso/even

शीलज्ञाननिधिःa treasure of conduct and knowledge

परःsupreme/peerless

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True excellence is presented as multidimensional: mastery of arms is praised, but it is explicitly paired with dharma (moral responsibility) and śīla (good conduct). The ideal person is not merely powerful, but a repository of wisdom and character.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is describing and extolling a particular individual (not named in this verse) by listing superlative qualities—martial expertise, steadfastness in dharma, and exemplary conduct—framing him as an ethical ideal within the story.