Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तस्मादध्वानमेवैतमाहु: शास्त्रविदो जना: । यत्तु संसारगहनं वनमाहुर्मनीषिण:,इसीलिये शास्त्रज्ञ पुरुषोंने गर्भवासको मार्गका ही रूपक दिया है और गहन संसारको मनीषी पुरुष वन कहा करते हैं

Transliteration

tasmād adhvānām evaitam āhuḥ śāstravido janāḥ | yat tu saṃsāragahanaṃ vanam āhur manīṣiṇaḥ ||

Translation

Therefore, those who know the scriptures describe this very condition as a ‘journey on the road’; and the wise also call the dense entanglement of worldly existence a ‘forest’—hard to traverse and easy to lose one’s way in.

Word by Word

तस्मात्therefore/from that

अध्वानम्path, road

एवindeed, just

एतम्this

आहुःthey say/declare

शास्त्रविदःknowers of the scriptures

जनाःpeople

यत्which/that (relative)

तुbut, however

संसारगहनम्dense/thick with worldly existence

वनम्forest

आहुःthey say/call

मनीषिणःwise men, sages

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Worldly life (saṃsāra) is portrayed as a difficult terrain: a path that must be traversed and a dense forest in which one can easily become lost. The verse urges vigilance, discernment, and reliance on śāstric wisdom to navigate life ethically.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura is offering reflective counsel in the aftermath of the war, using metaphors to frame human existence as perilous and confusing, thereby guiding listeners toward steadiness, right conduct, and clarity amid grief and upheaval.