Shloka 48

उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय 33: धृतराष्ट्र-विदुर संवादः (विदुरनीतिः)

Devanagari script

शीलं प्रधान पुरुषे तद्‌ यस्येह प्रणश्यति । न तस्य जीवितेनार्थो न धनेन न बन्धुभि:

Transliteration

śīlaṃ pradhānaṃ puruṣe tad yasyeha praṇaśyati | na tasya jīvitenārtho na dhanena na bandhubhiḥ ||

Translation

মানুষের মধ্যে শীলই প্রধান; যার শীল এ জগতে নষ্ট হয়ে যায়, তার কাছে না জীবনের কোনো মূল্য থাকে, না ধনের, না আত্মীয়স্বজনের।

Word by Word

• शीलम्: conduct, character
• शीलम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शील
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• प्रधानम्: chief, foremost
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रधान
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• पुरुषे: in a man/person
• पुरुषे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तत्: that (i.e., that character)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• यस्य: of whom/whose
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• इह: here, in this world
• इह: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह

• प्रणश्यति: perishes, is destroyed
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नश्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• तस्य: of him
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• जीवितेन: by/with life; by living
• जीवितेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• अर्थः: purpose, use, value
• अर्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• धनेन: by/with wealth
• धनेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• न: nor
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• बन्धुभिः: by/with kinsmen, relatives
• बन्धुभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बन्धु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Character (śīla) is the highest asset of a person; without it, life, wealth, and social ties lose their true value and cannot accomplish a worthy purpose.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers nīti (ethical-political counsel) amid rising conflict, warning that inner virtue—not power, money, or alliances—is what makes a life meaningful and fit for dharma.