Shloka 2

Devanagari script

सौदाय उवाच न चैवैषा गति: क्षेम्या न चान्या विद्यते गति: । एतन्मे मतमाज्ञाय प्रयच्छ मणिकुण्डले,सौदास बोले--प्रिये! मैं जिस दुर्गतिमें पड़ा हूँ, यह मेरे लिये कल्याण करनेवाली नहीं है तथा इसके सिवा अब दूसरी कोई भी गति नहीं है। मेरे इस विचारको जानकर तुम अपने दोनों मणिमय कुण्डल इन ब्राह्मणदेवताको दे डालो

Transliteration

saudāya uvāca | na caivaiṣā gatiḥ kṣemyā na cānyā vidyate gatiḥ | etan me matam ājñāya prayaccha maṇikuṇḍale |

Translation

Saudāya said: “This course into which I have fallen is not for my welfare, and apart from it no other way remains. Knowing my resolve, give this Brāhmaṇa your jeweled earrings.”

Word by Word

• {'saudāya uvāca': 'Saudāya said', 'na ca eva': 'and indeed not', 'eṣā gatiḥ': 'this course/condition/way (of life or fate)', 'kṣemyā': 'safe, auspicious, conducive to welfare', 'na ca anyā': 'nor any other', 'vidyate': 'is found, exists', 'gatiḥ': 'path, recourse, destiny, means', 'etat': 'this', 'me': 'my', 'matam': 'opinion, resolve, settled intention', 'ājñāya': 'having known, understanding', 'prayaccha': 'give, bestow', 'maṇikuṇḍale': 'jeweled earrings (dual

Speaker

सौदाय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Saudāya
• maṇikuṇḍale (jeweled earrings)
• brāhmaṇa (Brahmin recipient, implied by context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When one recognizes that a present course is not kṣema (truly beneficial or safe), one should adopt a dharmic remedy; here, the remedy is dāna—parting with valued possessions for a righteous purpose, guided by a firm inner resolve (mata).

What is happening in the narrative?

Saudāya speaks to a प्रिय (beloved, implied addressee) and declares that his current predicament offers no welfare and no alternative escape; therefore, he urges the addressee to comply with his decision by giving a pair of jeweled earrings to a Brahmin.