Shloka 17

Devanagari script

सात्यकेस्तद्‌ वच: श्रुत्वा विदुरो दीर्घदर्शिवान्‌,अशक्यमयशस्यं च कर्तु कर्म समुद्यता: । सात्यकिका यह वचन सुनकर दूरदर्शी विदुरने कौरवसभामें महाबाहु धृतराष्ट्रसे कहा --'परंतप नरेश! जान पड़ता है, आपके सभी पुत्र सर्वथा कालके अधीन हो गये हैं। इसीलिये वे यह अकीर्तिकारक और असम्भव कर्म करनेको उतारू हुए हैं

Transliteration

sātyakestadvacaḥ śrutvā viduro dīrghadarśivān | aśakyam ayaśasyaṃ ca kartuṃ karma samudyatāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Hearing Sātyaki’s words, Vidura—far-sighted and discerning—spoke out, warning that the Kauravas were setting themselves to a deed both impossible to accomplish and certain to bring disgrace. In dharmic terms, Vidura frames their resolve as a collapse of judgment: driven by fate, anger, and delusion, one chooses actions that violate dharma and reap infamy rather than true success.

Word by Word

• {'sātyakeḥ': 'of Sātyaki', 'tat': 'that', 'vacaḥ': 'speech, words', 'śrutvā': 'having heard', 'viduraḥ': 'Vidura (the wise counselor of the Kuru court)', 'dīrgha-darśivān': 'far-seeing, prudent, one who foresees consequences', 'aśakyam': 'impossible, not feasible', 'ayaśasyam': 'bringing ill-fame, disgraceful', 'ca': 'and', 'kartuṃ': 'to do, to accomplish', 'karma': 'deed, action (often with moral consequence)', 'samudyatāḥ': 'resolved, prepared, set upon (undertaking)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Sātyaki
• Vidura

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Vidura’s warning highlights a dharmic principle: actions chosen without foresight—especially those driven by pride, anger, or fatalism—tend to be both unworkable and dishonorable. True success is inseparable from ethical means; otherwise the outcome is disgrace even if power is temporarily gained.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Sātyaki speaks, Vidura responds as a prudent advisor. He characterizes the Kauravas’ intended course as an impossible and shameful undertaking, signaling that their decision-making has become morally and strategically unsound in the escalating conflict leading toward war.