Shloka 4

Devanagari script

वय:स्थया तया राजन्‌ सह संवत्सरोषित: । अतिशड्ूका भवेत्‌ स्थाने तव लोकस्य वा विभो,राजन्‌! जब वह वयस्क हो चुकी थी तब मैं उसके साथ एक वर्षतक रह चुका हूँ। प्रभो! (ऐसी अवस्थामें यदि मैं उसके साथ विवाह करूँगा, तो) आपको या और किसी मनुष्यको हमारे चरित्रके विषयमें (अवश्य ही) संदेह होगा और वह युक्तिसंगत ही होगा

Transliteration

vayaḥsthayā tayā rājan saha saṁvatsaroṣitaḥ | atiśaṅkā bhavet sthāne tava lokasya vā vibho ||

Translation

Arjuna sprach: «O König, nachdem sie das reife Alter erreicht hatte, habe ich ein volles Jahr mit ihr zusammengelebt. O mächtiger Herr, nähme ich sie nun zur Frau, so würde ganz natürlich Verdacht über unser Verhalten aufkommen—sei es in deinem Sinn oder in den Augen des Volkes—und ein solcher Zweifel wäre verständlich.»

Word by Word

• {'vayaḥsthayā': 'having reached maturity

• being of marriageable age', 'tayā': 'with her', 'rājan': 'O king (vocative)', 'saha': 'together with', 'saṁvatsara': 'a year', 'uṣitaḥ': 'dwelt, stayed, lived', 'atiśaṅkā': 'great suspicion, strong doubt', 'bhavet': 'would arise, would occur', 'sthāne': 'rightly, appropriately

• in the proper course', 'tava': 'of you, in your case', 'lokasya': 'of the people, of the world', 'vā': 'or', 'vibho': 'O mighty one, O lord'}

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Virata (king, implied by rājan/vibho)
• Uttara (implied by tayā in context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when one’s intentions are pure, dharma requires guarding public trust and avoiding actions that reasonably invite suspicion; personal conduct must be beyond reproach.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the Pandavas’ incognito year at Virata’s court, Arjuna explains to King Virata why marrying the princess would be improper: he has lived closely with her for a year, so such a marriage would provoke justified doubts about their relationship.