Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अध्र॒वा सर्वमत्येंषु श्रीरुपालक्ष्यते भृशम्‌ भवतो व्यसन दृष्टवा शक्रविस्पर्थधिनो भूशम्‌

Transliteration

adhruvā sarvamartyeṣu śrīr upalakṣyate bhṛśam | bhavato vyasanaṃ dṛṣṭvā śakra-vispartha-dhīno bhūśam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Among all mortals, prosperity is plainly seen to be unstable. Seeing this calamity that has befallen you—though you were a king whose royal fortune made you comparable to Indra—it becomes certain that no human wealth can be regarded as permanently secure.”

Word by Word

• अध्रुवा: unstable, impermanent
• अध्रुवा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अध्रुव
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• मनुष्येषु: among men / in humans
• मनुष्येषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• श्रीः: fortune, prosperity
• श्रीः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• उपलक्ष्यते: is perceived/observed
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-लक्ष्
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada, Passive/Impersonal (middle usage)

• भृशम्: greatly, exceedingly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भृशम्

• भवतः: of you
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: भवत्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• व्यसनम्: calamity, misfortune
• व्यसनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यसन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Absolutive (त्वा), Active

• शक्र: of Indra
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• विस्पर्धिनः: rivaling, competing with
• विस्पर्धिनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विस्पर्धिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भूशम्: kings, lords of the earth
• भूशम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śakra (Indra)
• Śrī (Lakṣmī/royal fortune)
• Bhūśa/Bhū-īśa (the king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Worldly prosperity (śrī) is inherently impermanent; even those who seem Indra-like in power can fall into calamity, so one should not treat wealth and status as permanently secure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya addresses a king (the ‘lord of the earth’), pointing out that the king—once comparable to Indra due to his imperial fortune—has now met adversity, proving that human wealth does not remain stable.