Shloka 20

सूर्य–कर्णोपदेशः

Sūrya’s Counsel to Karṇa on Kīrti and the Kuṇḍala

Devanagari script

विविधेषु प्रशस्तेषु बहुमूलफलेषु च । प्रभूतमधुमूलेषु वारिमत्सु शिवेषु च,जहाँ फल-मूलकी बहुतायत होती, मधु और कन्द-मूल प्रचुरमात्रामें उपलब्ध होते तथा जलकी अधिक सुविधा होती, ऐसे कल्याणकारी और उत्तम विविध पर्वतीय शिखरोंपर डेरा डालती हुई वह वानरसेना बिना किसी विघ्न-बाधाके खारे पानीवाले समुद्रके निकट जा पहुँची

Transliteration

vividheṣu praśasteṣu bahumūlaphaleṣu ca | prabhūtamadhumūleṣu vārimatsu śiveṣu ca ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: Moving from one auspicious place to another—mountain heights renowned for their abundance of fruits and roots, rich in honey and edible tubers, and well supplied with water—the monkey host made its encampments without hindrance and at last drew near to the sea of salt water.

Word by Word

• {'vividheṣu': 'in various, diverse (places)', 'praśasteṣu': 'praiseworthy, auspicious, excellent', 'bahu': 'many, abundant', 'mūla': 'root

• edible root/tuber', 'phala': 'fruit', 'bahumūlaphaleṣu': 'in places with abundant roots and fruits', 'prabhūta': 'plentiful, abundant', 'madhu': 'honey', 'madhumūla': 'honey and roots/tubers (as provisions)', 'prabhūtamadhumūleṣu': 'in places rich in honey and edible roots', 'vāri': 'water', 'vārimat': 'possessing water

• well-watered', 'vārimatsu': 'in water-rich places', 'śiva': 'auspicious, beneficial, safe', 'śiveṣu': 'in auspicious/safe places'}

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• vānarasenā (monkey host)
• parvatīya-śikhara (mountain peaks)
• samudra (salt sea)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sound leadership supports dharma through practical wisdom: selecting safe, resource-rich places (food, water, shelter) prevents avoidable hardship and allows a collective purpose to be pursued steadily and without disruption.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes a monkey host advancing on its route, camping on auspicious mountain peaks abundant in fruits, roots, honey, and water, and eventually reaching the vicinity of the salt sea without encountering obstacles.