Shloka 23

शततमः सर्गः — Rāma Questions Bharata on Rājadharma

Governance, Counsel, and Public Welfare

Devanagari script

सहस्राण्यपि मूर्खाणां युद्युपास्ते महीपतिः।अथवाप्ययुतान्येव नास्ति तेषु सहायता।।।।

Transliteration

sahasrāṇy api mūrkhāṇāṃ yady upāste mahīpatiḥ | athavāpy ayutāny eva nāsti teṣu sahāyatā ||

Translation

Selbst wenn ein König bei Tausenden von Toren Beistand sucht — ja selbst bei Zehntausenden — findet sich unter ihnen keine wirkliche Hilfe.

Word by Word

• sahasrāṇi: thousands
• sahasrāṇi: Karma (object) of 'upāste'
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana

• api: even
• api: Sentence particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (even/also)

• mūrkhāṇām: of fools
• mūrkhāṇām: Sambandha (genitive) with 'sahasrāṇi/ayutāni'
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Bahuvacana

• yadi: if
• yadi: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: Conditional conjunction (शर्तबोधक)

• upāste: seeks/attends on (for help)
• upāste: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√ās (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (Present), Prathama puruṣa, Ekavacana; Ātmanepada

• mahīpatiḥ: king
• mahīpatiḥ: Kartā (subject) of 'upāste'
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahīpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• athavā: or else
• athavā: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: athavā (अव्यय)
• Form: Alternative conjunction (विकल्पबोधक)

• api: even
• api: Sentence particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle

• ayutāni: tens of thousands
• ayutāni: Karma (object) understood with 'upāste' (elliptic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ayuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana

• eva: only/just
• eva: Sentence particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle

• na: not
• na: Sentence particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle

• asti: is
• asti: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (Present), Prathama puruṣa, Ekavacana; Parasmaipada

• teṣu: among them
• teṣu: Adhikaraṇa (locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक; pronoun)
• Form: Puṃliṅga/Napumsaka (contextual), Saptamī (Locative), Bahuvacana

• sahāyatā: help, assistance
• sahāyatā: Kartā (grammatical subject) of 'asti'
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahāyatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; subject of 'asti'

Context

Even if the king seeks the assistance from thousands or tens of thousands of fools, they cannot render any help to him.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Bharata
• mahīpati (king)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma in administration requires discernment: numbers without competence become a burden, not support, and can mislead a ruler away from truth and right action.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma reinforces his teaching on counsel by contrasting the futility of many foolish advisors with the value of true wisdom.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Discrimination (viveka): choosing capability over popularity.