Shloka 123

Devanagari script

यथाह॑मिह वक्तव्यं सर्वथा धर्मलिप्सया । “तात! जो वृद्धपुरुषोंके अनुशासनमें रहनेवाला और सत्यपालक है, वह धीर पुरुष यदि साधुपुरुषोंके समाजमें कुछ कहना चाहता है, तो उसे यहाँ सर्वथा धर्म प्राप्त करनेकी इच्छासे यथार्थ एवं उचित बात ही कहनी चाहिये

Transliteration

yathāham iha vaktavyaṃ sarvathā dharmalipsayā | “tāta! yo vṛddhapuruṣāṇām anuśāsane nivāsavān satyapālakaś ca, sa dhīraḥ puruṣaḥ yadi sādhupuruṣāṇāṃ samāje kiñcid vaktum icchati, tarhi iha sarvathā dharmaprāptim icchan yathārtham aucitya-yuktaṃ vaca eva vaktavyam” ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: „Mein Sohn, ein standhafter Mann, der unter der Leitung der Ältesten lebt und die Wahrheit wahrt — wenn er in der Versammlung der Tugendhaften sprechen will — soll nur das sagen, was zutreffend und angemessen ist, in der einzigen Absicht, Dharma zu erlangen.“

Word by Word

यथाas, in the manner that

अहम्I

इहhere

वक्तव्यम्to be spoken; should be said

सर्वथाin every way; entirely

धर्मलिप्सयाwith desire for dharma (righteousness)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should speak with the intention of dharma: words must be truthful (yathārtha) and appropriate (aucitya-yukta), especially in the company of virtuous people, and guided by elders’ discipline and commitment to truth.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana delivers a didactic instruction on proper conduct—how a composed, truth-keeping person should speak in a virtuous assembly—framing speech as an ethical act aimed at attaining dharma.