Shloka 22

Devanagari script

पद्म श्मशानादादत्ते पिशाचाच्चापि दैवतम्‌ | तेषु यः: समयं कश्रित्‌ कुर्वीत हतबुद्धिषु

Transliteration

padma śmaśānād ādatte piśācāc cāpi daivatam | teṣu yaḥ samayaṁ kaścit kurvīta hatabuddhiṣu ||

Translation

“A man may even take a lotus from a cremation-ground, and may even accept a deity from a piśāca (a malignant spirit). But whoever makes a pact or agreement with such people of ruined understanding—he acts without discernment and invites harm.”

Word by Word

पद्मlotus

श्मशानात्from a cremation-ground

आदत्तेtakes, accepts

पिशाचात्from a piśāca (goblin)

चand

अपिalso, even

दैवतम्a deity, divine object

तेषुamong/in those (persons)

यःwho (he who)

समयम्agreement, convention, appointed rule/time

कश्चित्someone, anyone

कुर्वीतshould do/make

हतबुद्धिषुamong those of ruined understanding (foolish persons)

Speaker

हुमत्सेन उवाच

Characters & Entities

ह

हुमत्सेन (Humatsena)

padma (lotus)

śmaśāna (cremation-ground)

piśāca (malevolent spirit)

daivatam (deity/object of worship)

hatabuddhi (the foolish/ruined-minded persons)

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?

Even if one can extract something seemingly valuable from impure or dangerous contexts, one should not enter into agreements with people of corrupted judgment; association and trust must be guided by discernment (viveka) and dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Humatsena delivers a cautionary maxim: he uses striking images (a lotus from a cremation-ground; a ‘deity’ from a piśāca) to emphasize that making pacts with the foolish or morally ruined is especially perilous and should be avoided.