Shloka 27

Devanagari script

नहि मे जीवितेनार्थो न राज्येन धनेन वा । तादृशान्‌ सुहृदो हत्वा मूढस्यास्य सुहृदद्गुह:,“मैं अपने सुहृदोंका द्रोही और अविवेकी हूँ। वैसे-वैसे श्रेष्ठ सुहदोंका वध करके अब मुझे जीवन, राज्य अथवा धनसे कोई प्रयोजन नहीं है”

Transliteration

nahi me jīvitena artho na rājyena dhanena vā | tādṛśān suhṛdo hatvā mūḍhasyāsya suhṛd-drohaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Life holds no value for me now—nor kingship, nor wealth. Having slain such noble friends, I, in my folly, stand condemned as a betrayer of my own well-wishers.”

Word by Word

नnot

हिindeed/for

मेof me / for me

जीवितेनby/with life; with living

अर्थःpurpose/use

नnot

राज्येनwith kingdom/sovereignty

धनेनwith wealth

वाor

तादृशान्such (as those)

सुहृदःfriends/well-wishers

हत्वाhaving slain/killed

मूढस्यof the deluded/foolish

अस्यof this (me/one here)

सुहृदद्गुहःbetrayer of friends (friend-hater)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

suhṛd (friends/well-wishers)

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?

The verse underscores the ethical collapse that follows betrayal and violence against one’s own well-wishers: when righteous bonds are destroyed, worldly gains like life, power, and wealth lose their meaning, and remorse becomes the dominant moral consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the aftermath of the Kurukṣetra slaughter, the narration conveys a speaker’s self-condemnation: having caused the death of valued allies and friends, he declares that survival, sovereignty, and riches are now worthless, framing the post-war mood of lamentation central to Strī Parva.