Shloka 55

Duḥṣanta at Kaṇva-Āśrama; Śakuntalā’s Reception and Origin Prelude (दुःषन्तस्य कण्वाश्रमागमनम्)

Devanagari script

आयुष्यश्चैव पुण्यश्न धन्य: श्रुतिसुखावह: । श्रोतव्यश्वैव सततं श्राव्यश्वैवानसूयता,यह प्रसंग आयु देनेवाला, पुण्यमय, प्रशंसनीय तथा सुननेमें सुखद है। मनुष्यको चाहिये कि वह दोषदृष्टि न रखकर सदा इसे सुने और सुनावे

Transliteration

āyuṣyaś caiva puṇyaś ca dhanyaḥ śrutisukhāvahaḥ | śrotavyaś caiva satataṃ śrāvyaś caivān asūyatā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Diese Begebenheit ist lebensverlängernd und verdienstvoll, des Lobes würdig und wohltuend zu hören. Darum soll man sie immer wieder anhören und auch anderen vortragen—ohne Fehlersuche und ohne Neid.“

Word by Word

आयुष्यःlife-giving, promoting longevity

चand

एवindeed, certainly

पुण्यश्नःpartaking of merit; yielding merit

धन्यःblessed, praiseworthy

श्रुतिसुखावहःbringing pleasure to hearing

श्रोतव्यःto be heard, worth listening to

चand

एवindeed

सततम्always, continually

श्राव्यःto be made heard; to be recited/told

चand

एवindeed

अनसूयताwith non-carping attitude; without fault-finding

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

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?

Sacred narratives should be approached with reverence: hearing them and transmitting them brings merit and well-being, but the listener should avoid asūyā—censorious, envious fault-finding that blocks ethical and spiritual benefit.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśampāyana pauses to praise the very episode being recounted, recommending that it be repeatedly heard and recited, emphasizing the proper attitude of a listener—free from criticism and jealousy.