Shloka 34

Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)

Devanagari script

निकृत्या निकृतिप्रज्ञो हन्तव्य इति निश्चय: । अनुज्ञातस्त्वया गत्वा यावच्छक्ति सुयोधनम्‌,“अपना निश्चय तो यही है कि कपटीको कपटसे ही मारना चाहिये। यदि आपकी आज्ञा हो तो जैसे तृणकी राशिमें डाली हुई आग हवाका सहारा पाकर उसे भस्म कर डालती है, वैसे ही मैं जाकर अपनी शक्तिके अनुसार उस मूढ़ दुर्योधनका वध कर डालूँ, अतः आप मुझे आज्ञा दीजिये

Transliteration

nikṛtyā nikṛtiprajño hantavya iti niścayaḥ | anujñātas tvayā gatvā yāvacchakti suyodhanam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “My settled conviction is this: a deceitful man, skilled in deceit, should be slain by deceit itself. If you grant me leave, I will go and, to the full extent of my power, kill Suyodhana (Duryodhana)—as fire cast into a heap of dry grass, taking support from the wind, reduces it to ashes.”

Word by Word

• {'nikṛtyā': 'by deceit, through stratagem', 'nikṛti': 'deceit, treachery, fraud', 'nikṛtiprajñaḥ': 'one whose intelligence is set on deceit

• a crafty schemer', 'hantavyaḥ': 'to be slain

• fit to be killed', 'iti': 'thus', 'niścayaḥ': 'firm decision, settled conclusion', 'anujñātaḥ': 'permitted, authorized', 'tvayā': 'by you', 'gatvā': 'having gone', 'yāvat-śakti': 'according to one’s strength

• to the best of one’s ability', 'suyodhanam': 'Suyodhana, i.e., Duryodhana'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Suyodhana (Duryodhana)