Shloka 343

Devanagari script

वक्तुम्हसि वक्तव्य: कस्मात्‌ त्वं परुषाण्यथ । जब तू स्वयं ही चाण्डालके समान ऐसा पाप-कर्म करके निन्दाका पात्र बन गया है, तब दूसरेको कटु वचन सुनानेका कैसे अधिकारी हो सकता है?

Transliteration

vaktum asi vaktavyaḥ kasmāt tvaṃ paruṣāṇy atha | yadā tvaṃ svayam eva cāṇḍālaka-samo 'si pāpa-karma kṛtvā nindā-pātraṃ jātaḥ, tadā 'nyān prati kaṭu-vacanaṃ vaktuṃ katham adhikārī bhavasi ||

Translation

Dhṛṣṭadyumna said: “How can you presume to speak harshly to others? For when you yourself, by committing a sinful deed, have become like a caṇḍāla and thus a fit object of reproach, by what right can you hurl bitter words at anyone else?”

Word by Word

• वक्तुम्: to speak
• वक्तुम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: तुमुन् (infinitive)

• अर्हसि: you are fit / you deserve
• अर्हसि: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह्
• Form: लट् (present indicative), 2, singular

• वक्तव्यः: one who should be spoken (to) / to be addressed
• वक्तव्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वक्तव्य
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• कस्मात्: from what? why?
• कस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: masculine/neuter, ablative, singular

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: nominative, singular

• परुषाणि: harsh (words/things)
• परुषाणि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परुष
• Form: neuter, accusative, plural

• अथ: then / now / indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

Speaker

धृष्टह्युम्न उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• cāṇḍāla (as a social/ethical comparison)