Shloka 22

Devanagari script

सत्कृतो5सत्कृतो वापि योअ<न्यं कृपणचक्षुषा | उपैति वृत्तिं कामात्मा स शुनां वर्तते पथि,जो सत्कार या तिरस्कार पाकर दीनतापूर्ण दृष्टिसे देखता हुआ किसी दूसरे पुरुषके पास जीविकाकी आशासे जाता है, वह कामात्मा मनुष्य तो कुत्तोंके मार्गपपर चलता है

Transliteration

satkṛto 'satkṛto vāpi yo 'nyam kṛpaṇacakṣuṣā | upaiti vṛttiṁ kāmātmā sa śunāṁ vartate pathi ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Ob geehrt oder beschimpft: Wer, vom Begehren getrieben, zu einem anderen um des Lebensunterhalts willen mit einem erbärmlichen Bettlerblick geht — ein solcher, von Begierde beherrschter Mensch, wandelt auf dem Weg der Hunde.“

Word by Word

सत्कृतःhonored, well-received

असत्कृतःdishonored, not respected

वाor

अपिeven/also

यःwho

अन्यम्another (person)

कृपणचक्षुषाwith a pitiable/mean look (with wretched eyes)

उपैतिapproaches, goes to

वृत्तिम्livelihood, means of living

कामात्माone whose nature is desire; lust-driven

सःhe

शुनाम्of dogs

वर्ततेmoves about, behaves, exists

पथिon the path/road

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

dogs (śunām)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A person ruled by craving who seeks livelihood by ingratiating himself before others—accepting honor or insult alike—falls into a degraded mode of conduct; the verse upholds dignity and restraint over desire-driven dependence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana delivers a moral observation within the Adi Parva discourse, using the metaphor of “walking the path of dogs” to criticize a livelihood pursued through servile, desire-motivated approach to others.