Shloka 17

अर्जुनस्य प्रतिघातः — श्रुताय्वच्युतायुवधः तथा गजसैन्यविदारणम्

Arjuna’s Counterstroke: Slaying of Śrutāyu and Acyutāyu; Breaking the Elephant Corps

Devanagari script

पुत्रात्‌ पुण्यतरस्तुभ्यं मा पुत्रमनुतप्यथा: । अयज्वानमदाक्षिण्यमश्रि श्वैत्येत्युदाहरत्‌

Transliteration

putrāt puṇyataras tubhyaṃ mā putram anutapyathāḥ | ayajvān amadākṣiṇyam aśriśvaity ety udāharat |

Translation

Nārada sprach: „Für dich gibt es etwas, das noch verdienstvoller ist als ein Sohn; darum betrübe dich nicht um den Sohn. Wer keine Opfer vollzieht und keine dakṣiṇā (rituelle Gabe) gibt, wird als ‘ohne Opfer und ohne Gaben’ bezeichnet und als Beispiel (geistiger Dürftigkeit) angeführt.“

Word by Word

पुत्रात्than (one's) son / from a son

पुण्यतरःmore meritorious

तुभ्यम्to you

माdo not

पुत्रम्son

अनुतप्यथाःyou should grieve / regret

अयज्वानम्one who does not sacrifice

अदाक्षिण्यम्lack of gifts/fees (to priests); stinginess

अश्रिmisfortune; ill-luck (lit. non-prosperity)

श्वैत्येति"whiteness" (as a quoted term)

इतिthus (quotative)

उदाहरत्he cited/uttered

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

son (putra)

yajña (sacrifice) (implied)

dakṣiṇā (sacrificial fee/gift) (implied)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Nārada redirects grief away from attachment to progeny and toward higher sources of merit: true spiritual welfare is linked to dharmic conduct—especially sacrificial duty and generosity (dakṣiṇā)—rather than merely having a son.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada addresses someone lamenting a son and offers counsel: do not mourn, because there is a greater good than a son. He reinforces the point by invoking a traditional characterization of the spiritually deficient person—one who neither performs sacrifice nor gives the due gifts.