Shloka 12

आदि पर्व — जातुगृह-प्रसङ्गः: विदुरप्रेषित-खनकस्य सूचना तथा पलायन-मार्ग-निर्माणम्

Adi Parva 135: The Miner’s Warning and Construction of the Escape Passage

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

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Dieser ist der Vortrefflichste unter den Waffenkundigen; dieser ist der Beste unter den Wahrern des Dharma. Und auch unter den Sittlichen ist er der Höchste — ein erhabenster Schatz an Charakter und Weisheit.“

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.