Shloka 6

Devanagari script

अवश्यं तु मया वाच्यं॑ बुद्ध्यता त्वद्धिताहितम्‌ । विशेषतो रथस्थेन राज्ञश्नैव हितैषिणा,मैं राजा दुर्योधनका हितैषी हूँ और विशेषतः रथपर सारथि बनकर बैठा हूँ; इसलिये तुम्हारे हिताहितको जानते हुए मेरा आवश्यक कर्तव्य है कि तुम्हें वह सब बता दूँ

Transliteration

avaśyaṁ tu mayā vācyaṁ buddhyatā tvad-hitāhitam | viśeṣato ratha-sthena rājñaś caiva hitaiṣiṇā ||

Translation

Dijo Sañjaya: «Debo hablar, con claro discernimiento, de lo que de veras es para tu bien y de lo que no lo es. Y más aún, porque estoy sobre el carro como auriga del rey y su bienhechor; por ello es mi deber ineludible decirte con franqueza qué conduce a tu provecho y qué te arrastra al daño.»

Word by Word

अवश्यम्necessarily, certainly

तुbut, indeed

मयाby me

वाच्यम्to be said (must be said)

बुद्ध्याwith understanding, intelligently

तवof you, your

हिताहितम्benefit and harm (what is good and bad)

विशेषतःespecially, in particular

रथस्थेनby (one) stationed on the chariot

राज्ञाby the king

चand

एवindeed, just

हितैषिणाby a well-wisher

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Duryodhana

king (rājā)

chariot (ratha)

charioteer (rathastha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A well-wisher must speak truthfully about benefit and harm (hita–ahita), guided by discernment (buddhi), especially when entrusted with responsibility near power—such as a charioteer-counselor to a king.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, positioned as Duryodhana’s charioteer and loyal adviser, prefaces his counsel by asserting his duty to state plainly what will help or harm the king, setting an ethical frame for the advice that follows amid the pressures of war.