Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अधर्मेण जयं लब्ध्वा को नु हृष्येत पण्डित:

Transliteration

adharmeṇa jayaṁ labdhvā ko nu hṛṣyet paṇḍitaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Wer durch Adharma den Sieg erringt — welcher Weise könnte sich wahrhaft freuen? Ein Triumph, der aus Adharma geboren ist, kann für den, der Dharma und seine Folgen versteht, kein Grund echter Genugtuung sein.“

Word by Word

• अधर्मेण: by unrighteousness / through adharma
• अधर्मेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधर्म
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• जयम्: victory
• जयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• लब्ध्वा: having obtained
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund), Non-finite

• कः: who
• कः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नु: indeed / then (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नु

• हृष्येत: would rejoice / should rejoice
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृष्
• Form: Vidhi-linga (optative), Present (modal), 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

• पण्डितः: a wise man / learned person
• पण्डितः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पण्डित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Victory is not ethically neutral: if it is achieved through adharma, it is spiritually and morally tainted. A truly wise person measures success by righteousness and long-term consequence, not by outward gain.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shalya Parva’s war context, Sañjaya reflects on the moral quality of outcomes in battle, questioning the legitimacy of rejoicing over a win secured by improper means—an implicit critique of adharma-driven conduct amid the Kurukṣetra conflict.