Shloka 12

Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ

King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt

Devanagari script

सर्वे वर्णा: स्वधर्मस्था: सदा चेदिषु मानद । न ते>स्त्यविदितं किंचित्‌ त्रिषु लोकेषु यद्‌ भवेत्‌

Transliteration

sarve varṇāḥ svadharmasthāḥ sadā cediṣu mānada | na te 'sty aviditaṃ kiṃcit triṣu lokeṣu yad bhavet ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Spender der Ehre, wenn alle Varṇa beständig in ihren eigenen Pflichten fest gegründet sind, dann kann dir in den drei Welten nichts verborgen bleiben.“

Word by Word

सर्वेall

वर्णाःsocial classes (varṇas)

स्वधर्मस्थाःstanding in their own duty

सदाalways

चेत्if

इदिषुin (these) matters/points

मानदO giver of honor (epithet)

नnot

तेto you/for you

अस्तिis/exists

अविदितम्unknown

किंचित्anything (at all)

त्रिषुin the three

लोकेषुworlds

यत्whatever (that which)

भवेत्might be/should occur

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Cedi (Cedis)

the three worlds (trailokya)

varṇas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links true knowledge and effective governance to dharma: when each varṇa remains established in its own duty (svadharma), social and cosmic order are maintained, and the ruler (or honored person) is portrayed as having comprehensive awareness—nothing in the three worlds remains hidden.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana addresses an honored listener and praises a realm (associated with the Cedis) where the varṇas are steady in their prescribed duties; as a result, the addressee is depicted as possessing wide-ranging knowledge and insight into whatever may occur in the three worlds.