Shloka 79

Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 68 — Pāṇḍavānāṃ Vanavāsa-prasthānaḥ; Duḥśāsana-nindā; Pāṇḍava-pratijñāḥ

Devanagari script

अनेना भवति श्रेष्ठो मुच्यन्ते च सभासद: । एनो गच्छति कर्तरिं निन्दाहों यत्र निन्द्यते

Transliteration

anena bhavati śreṣṭho mucyante ca sabhāsadaḥ | eno gacchati kartariṁ nindāhoṁ yatra nindyate ||

Translation

Dijo Kāśyapa: «Con esta conducta uno llega a ser el mejor entre los hombres, y los miembros de la asamblea quedan libres de culpa. El pecado va al autor del acto; y el reproche cae allí donde en verdad corresponde.»

Word by Word

अनेनby this (means)

भवतिbecomes / is

श्रेष्ठःexcellent / best

मुच्यन्तेare released / are freed

चand

सभासदःmembers of the assembly

एनःsin / guilt

गच्छतिgoes / passes

कर्तरिupon the doer / in the agent

निन्दाblame / censure

अहोindeed / alas

यत्रwhere

निन्द्यतेis blamed / is censured

Speaker

कश्यप उवाच

Characters & Entities

क

कश्यप (Kāśyapa)

स

सभा (assembly)

स

सभासद् (assembly members)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Moral accountability should be assigned correctly: wrongdoing and its sin accrue to the actual agent, and blame should be directed only where blame is deserved; this protects the integrity of the assembly and elevates the one who upholds such fairness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kāśyapa is instructing about proper ethical judgment in an assembly: when decisions and censures are made according to dharma—placing fault on the true perpetrator—the courtiers are freed from complicity and the righteous person gains excellence.