Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अनायसेन शस्त्रेण मृदुना हृदयच्छिदा । जिद्नामुद्धर सर्वेषां परिमृज्यानुमृज्य च,अतः श्रीकृष्ण! आप एक ऐसे कोमल शस्त्रसे, जो लोहेका बना हुआ न होनेपर भी हृदयको छेद डालनेमें समर्थ है, परिमार्जनः और अनुमार्जनः करके उन सबकी जीभ उखाड़ लें--उन्हें मूक बना दें (जिससे फिर कलहका आरम्भ न हो)

Transliteration

anāyasena śastreṇa mṛdunā hṛdayacchidā | jihvām uddhara sarveṣāṁ parimṛjyānumṛjya ca ||

Translation

Nārada said: “With an effortless weapon—soft, yet capable of piercing the heart—first cleanse and then cleanse again, and thereby pull out the tongues of them all; make them silent, so that quarrel may not begin again.”

Word by Word

अनायसेनwith an effortless (means)

शस्त्रेणwith a weapon

मृदुनाwith a gentle/soft (one)

हृदयच्छिदाheart-piercing

जिह्वाम्the tongue

उद्धरpluck out / remove

सर्वेषाम्of all (of them)

परिमृज्यhaving wiped/cleansed thoroughly

अनुमृज्यhaving wiped/cleansed again/afterwards

चand

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Śrī Kṛṣṇa

śastra (weapon)

jihvā (tongue/speech)

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?

Speech can function like a subtle weapon: though ‘soft’ and non-metallic, it can pierce the heart and reignite hostility. Therefore, controlling, purifying, and restraining harmful speech is presented as essential for preventing renewed quarrel and sustaining peace.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada addresses Śrī Kṛṣṇa with a striking metaphor: he urges the use of a gentle yet heart-cutting ‘weapon’ to ‘remove the tongues’ of those who would provoke conflict—i.e., to silence divisive talk after reconciliation so that discord does not start again.