Shloka 19

ऋतुपर्णस्य विदर्भयात्रा-निश्चयः तथा बाहुकस्य हयपरिक्षा (Ṛtuparṇa’s resolve to go to Vidarbha and Bāhuka’s examination of horses)

Devanagari script

सुखात्‌ सुखतरो वासो भविष्यति न संशय: । चिरविप्रोषितां मातर्मामनुज्ञातुमहसि,“अब यदि मैं यहाँ रहूँ तो यह मेरे लिये अधिक-से-अधिक सुखदायक होगा, इसमें संशय नहीं है, किंतु मैं बहुत दिनोंसे प्रवासमें भटक रही हूँ, अतः माताजी! मुझे विदर्भ जानेकी आज्ञा दीजिये

Transliteration

sukhāt sukhataraḥ vāso bhaviṣyati na saṁśayaḥ | ciraviproṣitāṁ mātar mām anu-jñātum arhasi |

Translation

“Si me quedara aquí, mi morada sería más dulce que la misma dicha—no hay duda. Pero, madre, llevo mucho tiempo lejos, errando en el destierro; por ello, concédeme permiso para ir a Vidarbha.”

Word by Word

• {'sukhāt': 'from/than comfort

• from happiness (ablative of sukha)', 'sukhataraḥ': 'more comfortable, happier (comparative)', 'vāsaḥ': 'dwelling, residence, stay', 'bhaviṣyati': 'will be, will become', 'na saṁśayaḥ': 'no doubt, certainly', 'cira': 'for a long time', 'viproṣitā': 'gone away, separated, living away from home

• in exile', 'mātar': 'O mother (vocative)', 'mām': 'me', 'anujñātum': 'to permit, to give leave/consent', 'arhasi': 'you ought to

Speaker

युदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudeva (speaker, as given)
• Mother (mātar)
• Vidarbha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when a situation offers great comfort, one should not abandon rightful obligations and social propriety; seeking a guardian’s consent and honoring one’s duties is presented as ethically superior to merely choosing what is pleasant.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker tells a mother-figure that staying where they are would be very pleasant, but since they have been away for a long time, they request formal permission to depart for Vidarbha, framing the decision in terms of propriety and duty rather than comfort.