Shloka 3

अध्याय ६४ — सभामध्ये क्रोध-निवारणम्

Restraint of wrath in the royal assembly

Devanagari script

उत्सज्े च व्याल इवाहितोडसि माजरिवत्‌ पोषकं चोपहंसि । भर्तृघ्न॑ त्वां न हि पापीय आहु- स्तस्मात्‌ क्षत्त: कि न बिभेषि पापात्‌,हमारे लिये तुम गोदमें बैठे साँपके समान हो और बिलावकी भाँति पालनेवालेका ही गला घोंट रहे हो। तुम स्वामिद्रोह रखते हो, फिर भी तुम्हें लोग पापी नहीं कहते? विदुर! तुम इस पापसे डरते क्यों नहीं?

Transliteration

utsaje ca vyāla ivāhitoḍasi mārjārivat poṣakaṃ copahaṃsi | bhartṛghnaṃ tvāṃ na hi pāpīyā āhus tasmāt kṣattaḥ kiṃ na bibheṣi pāpāt ||

Translation

Duryodhana dijo: «Eres como una serpiente guardada en el regazo: en cuanto puede, muerde. Como un gato, te vuelves contra quien te alimenta y buscas dañar a tu benefactor. Aunque eres un matador de tu señor—un traidor a tu amo—la gente aún no te llama el peor de los pecadores. Por eso, ¡oh Kṣattā (Vidura)!, ¿por qué no temes este pecado?»

Word by Word

• {'utsaje': 'in the lap

• on one’s bosom (locative sense)', 'vyālaḥ': 'a dangerous creature

• serpent', 'iva': 'like

• as', 'āhita': 'placed

• lodged', 'uḍasi (≈ oḍasi)': 'in the lap/bosom (contextual reading)', 'mārjāra-vat': 'like a cat', 'poṣakam': 'one who nourishes

• patron', 'ca': 'and', 'upahaṃsi': 'you harm

• you seek to destroy', 'bhartṛ-ghnam': 'slayer of one’s lord/master

• betrayer of one’s patron', 'tvām': 'you', 'na hi': 'indeed not', 'pāpīyān': 'more sinful

• worse (comparative of pāpa)', 'āhuḥ': 'they say

• they call', 'tasmāt': 'therefore', 'kṣattaḥ': 'O Kṣattā

• charioteer/minister (epithet of Vidura)', 'kim': 'why?

• how?', 'na bibheṣi': 'do you not fear?', 'pāpāt': 'from sin

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Vidura (Kṣattā)
• serpent (vyāla)
• cat (mārjāra)
• benefactor/patron (poṣaka)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse dramatizes a moral inversion common in the epic: a wicked ruler brands truthful counsel as ‘betrayal.’ It highlights how adharma defends itself by accusing dharma—equating ethical criticism with disloyalty—and how fear of ‘sin’ is invoked selectively to silence those who speak for justice.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Kuru court, Duryodhana, angered by Vidura’s counsel and opposition to his unjust plans, lashes out with harsh metaphors. He compares Vidura to a snake in the lap and a cat that harms its feeder, accusing him of betraying his master and asking why he does not fear the sin of such conduct.