Shloka 24

Devanagari script

अनृशंस शुचिं दान्तं सर्वभूतहिते रतम्‌ । महारथं त्वत्सदृशं न कंचिदनुशुश्रुम,“सत्य, तप, दान और यज्ञके अनुष्ठानमें, वेद, धनुर्वेद तथा नीतिशास्त्रके ज्ञानमें, प्रजाके पालनमें, कोमलतापूर्ण बर्ताव, बाहर-भीतरकी शुद्धि, मन और इन्द्रियोंके संयम तथा सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके हितसाधनमें आपके समान मैंने दूसरे किसी महारथीको नहीं सुना है

Transliteration

anṛśaṃsa śuciṃ dāntaṃ sarvabhūtahite ratam | mahārathaṃ tvatsadṛśaṃ na kaṃcid anuśuśruma ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Von keinem anderen großen Wagenkämpfer wie dir habe ich gehört—frei von Grausamkeit, rein im Wandel, selbstbezähmt und dem Wohl aller Wesen zugetan.“

Word by Word

अनृशंसम्non-cruel, compassionate

शुचिम्pure, clean

दान्तम्self-controlled, restrained

सर्वभूतहितेin the welfare of all beings

रतम्engaged, devoted

महारथम्great chariot-warrior

त्वत्सदृशम्like you, similar to you

नnot

कञ्चित्anyone (at all)

अनुशुश्रुमI have heard (of), I have learned

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

unnamed addressee (tvam: ‘you’)

mahāratha (great chariot-warrior)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse praises the ideal warrior-ruler as one whose greatness is measured not only by martial prowess (mahāratha) but by ethical virtues: non-cruelty, purity, self-restraint, and active commitment to the welfare of all beings.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, reports a traditional commendation of an unnamed ‘you’—declaring that no other great warrior equal to him has been heard of, because he combines supreme martial status with exemplary moral character.