Shloka 20

Devanagari script

आशीविषान्‌ नेत्रविषान्‌ कोपयेन्न च पण्डित: । एवं ते5हं वदामीदं प्रयतः कुरुनन्दन,कुरुनन्दन! मैं एकाग्र हृदयसे तुमसे यह बात बता रहा हूँ, 'विद्वान्‌ पुरुष उन सर्पोंको कुपित न करें, जो दाँतों और नेत्रोंसे भी विष उगलते रहते हैं (अर्थात्‌ ये पाण्डव तुम्हारे लिये सर्पोंसे भी अधिक भयंकर हैं, इन्हें मत छेड़ो)”

Transliteration

Āśīviṣān netraviṣān kopayen na ca paṇḍitaḥ | evaṁ te 'haṁ vadāmīdaṁ prayataḥ kurunandana ||

Translation

Vidura warnte den Prinzen: „Ein Weiser soll keine todbringenden Schlangen reizen — jene, die Gift aus den Fangzähnen und sogar aus den Augen verströmen. So sage ich dir, o Spross der Kurus, mit gesammeltem Sinn: Stachele nicht jene auf, die im Zorn weit gefährlicher werden; solche Provokation ruft das Verderben herbei.“

Word by Word

• {'āśīviṣān': 'highly venomous serpents

• deadly snakes', 'netraviṣān': 'those whose poison is (as if) in the eyes

• metaphor for lethal, wrathful gaze', 'kopayet': 'should provoke

• should enrage (causative of √kup)', 'na': 'not', 'ca': 'and', 'paṇḍitaḥ': 'a wise man

• learned, discerning person', 'evaṁ': 'thus

• in this manner', 'te': 'to you

• for you', 'aham': 'I', 'vadāmi': 'I say

• I speak', 'idam': 'this (counsel)', 'prayataḥ': 'with care

• composed, attentive, self-controlled', 'kurunandana': 'O delight of the Kurus

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• Kurunandana (Kuru prince; addressed figure)
• āśīviṣa (venomous serpent)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Do not provoke those who can become lethally dangerous when angered; wisdom lies in restraint, foresight, and avoiding needless enmity—an ethical and political counsel aligned with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura addresses a Kuru prince (commonly understood as Duryodhana in this context) and warns him, through the metaphor of venomous serpents, not to antagonize formidable opponents—implicitly the Pāṇḍavas—whose wrath could bring catastrophic consequences.