Shloka 48

धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)

Devanagari script

।। नान्यदत्र परं मन्ये वनवासादूृते प्रभो

Transliteration

nānyad atra paraṁ manye vanavāsād ṛte prabho

Translation

„O Herr, in dieser Sache sehe ich keinen höheren Weg, als das Exil in den Wald anzunehmen; dies ist hier der höchste Pfad, der das Rechte bewahrt und größeres Unrecht meidet.“

Word by Word

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• anyat: anything else
• anyat: Karta
• Type: Pronoun/Adjective
• Root: anya
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• atra: here; in this matter
• atra: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra

• param: higher; better; supreme
• param: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• manye: I think; I consider
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (मनँ)
• Form: lat, present, first, singular, ātmanepada

• vana-vāsāt: than forest-dwelling; from exile in the forest
• vana-vāsāt: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana-vāsa
• Form: masculine, ablative, singular

• ṛte: except; without
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ṛte

• prabho: O lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

Speaker

धघतयाट्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• prabhu (addressed lord/master)
• vanavāsa (exile/forest-dwelling)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When faced with a morally fraught situation, choosing a path of restraint and self-sacrifice (here, forest exile) can be the highest option if it protects dharma and prevents greater harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker addresses a superior as 'prabho' and advises that, given the circumstances, there is no better resolution than accepting vanavāsa (exile to the forest), implying a preference for ethical preservation over escalation.