Shloka 15

Devanagari script

द्विजातयो महा भागा वृद्धबालतपस्थविषु । भवन्त्यक्रोधना: प्रायो हापराद्धेषु नित्यदा,“वृद्ध, बालक और तपस्वीजन यदि कोई अपराध कर दें, तो भी आप-जैसे महाभाग ब्राह्मण प्रायः कभी उनपर क्रोध नहीं करते

Transliteration

dvijātayo mahābhāgā vṛddhabālatapasthaviṣu | bhavanty akrodhanāḥ prāyo hāparāddheṣu nityadā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Oh brahmanes de gran fortuna, los nacidos dos veces son, en su mayor parte, libres de ira, sobre todo con los ancianos, con los niños y con los ascetas. Aun cuando tales personas cometan una falta, no soléis enfureceros con ellas».

Word by Word

द्विजातयःtwice-born (Brahmins)

महाgreat

भागाःfortunate ones

वृद्धthe old

बालchildren

तपःausterity

स्थविषुamong elders/aged persons

भवन्तिare/become

अक्रोधनाःnot prone to anger

प्रायःgenerally/for the most part

हाalas/indeed (exclamation)

अपराद्धेषुin/among those who have offended; in cases of offense

नित्यदाalways

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

dvijāti (twice-born/brāhmaṇas)

vṛddha (elders)

bāla (children)

tapasvin/tapasthin (ascetics)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse praises the ethical ideal of akrodha (freedom from anger) and kṣamā (forbearance): a noble twice-born person, especially a brāhmaṇa, should restrain anger and show leniency toward elders, children, and ascetics—even when they commit mistakes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, characterizes the conduct of the dvijātis as generally non-wrathful, highlighting a social and moral norm: those regarded as vulnerable or spiritually dedicated (the aged, the young, and ascetics) are not to be met with harsh anger even if they offend.