Shloka 2

पाण्डोः श्राद्धं, सत्यवत्याः वनगमनम्, बाल्यस्पर्धा च

Pāṇḍu’s Śrāddha, Satyavatī’s Withdrawal, and Childhood Rivalry

Devanagari script

पाण्डुरुवाच सतामपि कुले जाता: कर्मणा बत दुर्गतिम्‌ । प्राप्तुवन्त्यकृतात्मान: कामजालविमोहिता:,पाण्डु बोले--खेदकी बात है कि श्रेष्ठ पुरुषोंके उत्तम कुलमें उत्पन्न मनुष्य भी अपने अन्तःकरणपर वश न होनेके कारण कामके फंदेमें फँसकर विवेक खो बैठते हैं और अनुचित कर्म करके उसके द्वारा भारी दुर्गतिमें पड़ जाते हैं

Transliteration

pāṇḍur uvāca satām api kule jātāḥ karmaṇā bata durgatim | prāptuvanty akṛtātmānaḥ kāmajālavimohitāḥ ||

Translation

Pāṇḍu sprach: „Weh mir! Selbst wer in edlen Geschlechtern tugendhafter Männer geboren ist, kann durch eigene Taten in schweres Verderben stürzen. Wer das innere Selbst nicht bezwungen hat und sich im Netz der Begierde verfängt und verblenden lässt, begeht Ungehöriges und gelangt dadurch zu einem furchtbaren Sturz.“

Word by Word

• {'pāṇḍuḥ uvāca': 'Pāṇḍu said', 'satām': 'of the good/virtuous people', 'api': 'even', 'kule': 'in a family/lineage', 'jātāḥ': 'born', 'karmaṇā': 'by action

• through one’s deeds', 'bata': 'alas! (an exclamation of lament)', 'durgatim': 'misfortune

• downfall', 'prāptuvanti': 'they attain

• they reach', 'akṛtātmānaḥ': 'those without self-mastery

• undisciplined in mind', 'kāmajāla': 'net/snare of desire', 'vimohitāḥ': 'bewildered

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Pāṇḍu

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Noble birth does not guarantee virtue; without self-mastery, desire can cloud discernment, leading to wrongful action and consequent downfall (durgati) through one’s own karma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Pāṇḍu reflects with regret on how even people from respected, virtuous families can be overcome by desire and lose judgment, setting the ethical frame for the events and choices being discussed in this section.