Shloka 34

Devanagari script

इस पृथ्वीपर मृग, पक्षी, हिंसक पशु और दरिद्र मनुष्योंको जब रोग सताता है, तब कौन उनकी चिकित्सा करने जाते हैं? किंतु प्राय: उन्हें रोग होता ही नहीं है ।। घोरानपि दुराधर्षान्‌ नृपतीनुग्रतेजस: । आक्रम्याददते रोगा: पशून्‌ पशुगणा इव,परन्तु बड़े-बड़े पशु जैसे छोटे पशुओंपर आक्रमण करके उन्हें दबा देते हैं, उसी प्रकार प्रचण्ड तेजवाले, घोर एवं दुर्धर्ष राजाओंपर भी बहुत-से रोग आक्रमण करके उन्हें अपने वशमें कर लेते हैं

Transliteration

ghorān api durādharṣān nṛpatīn ugratejasaḥ | ākramyādadate rogāḥ paśūn paśugaṇā iva ||

Translation

Nārada said: “Even fierce and seemingly unassailable kings, blazing with formidable energy, are attacked by diseases and brought under their power—just as great beasts overpower smaller animals by assaulting and subduing them. Thus no worldly strength, rank, or might grants immunity from suffering; one should cultivate humility, restraint, and dharma rather than pride in power.”

Word by Word

घोरान्terrible, dreadful

अपिeven, also

दुराधर्षान्hard to assail/overpower

नृपतीन्kings

उग्रतेजसःof (one) having fierce splendor

आक्रम्यhaving attacked

आददतेthey seize, take hold of

रोगाःdiseases

पशून्animals

पशुगणाःherds/groups of beasts

इवlike, as

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

nṛpati (kings)

rogāḥ (diseases)

paśu/paśugaṇa (animals, beasts)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power and royal might do not protect one from disease; suffering can subdue even the strongest. Hence one should not be arrogant about strength or status, but live with humility and adherence to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada uses a vivid simile: as large beasts overpower smaller animals, so diseases can attack and dominate even fierce, hard-to-defeat kings, illustrating the limits of worldly power.