Shloka 9

Devanagari script

बुद्धी कलुषभूतायां विनाशे समुपस्थिते । अनयो नयसंकाशो हृदयान्नापसर्पति,देवतालोग जिस पुरुषको पराजय देना चाहते हैं, उसकी बुद्धि ही पहले हर लेते हैं, इससे वह सब कुछ उलटा ही देखने लगता है। विनाशकाल उपस्थित होनेपर जब बुद्धि मलिन हो जाती है, उस समय अन्याय ही न्यायके समान जान पड़ता है और वह हृदयसे किसी प्रकार नहीं निकलता

Transliteration

buddhiḥ kaluṣabhūtāyāṃ vināśe samupasthite | anyo nyāya-saṅkāśo hṛdayān nāpasarpati ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: When ruin draws near and a person’s understanding becomes tainted, what is wrong appears to him as if it were right; and that delusive conviction does not withdraw from his heart.

Word by Word

बुद्धिःintellect, understanding

कलुषभूतायाम्having become tainted/impure (in the state of being tainted)

विनाशेin destruction, at ruin

समुपस्थितेwhen (it) has arrived/has come upon

अनयःwrong course, injustice, bad policy

नयसंकाशःappearing like justice/right policy

हृदयात्from the heart/mind

नnot

अपसर्पतिwithdraws, departs, goes away

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When destruction approaches, the mind’s discernment becomes clouded; then adharma can look like dharma, and the person clings to that false sense of ‘justice’ from the heart, leading to inevitable downfall.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya offers a reflective observation on how impending ruin manifests psychologically: the corruption of buddhi makes wrongful choices seem justified, explaining how leaders and parties persist in unethical decisions despite clear consequences.