Shloka 38

Vyāsa’s Boon-Offer and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse in the Forest Assembly (आश्रमवासिक पर्व, अध्याय ३६)

Devanagari script

न शोचिततव्यं राजेन्द्र स्वतः स पृथिवीपति:

Transliteration

na śocitatavyaṃ rājendra svataḥ sa pṛthivīpatiḥ

Translation

Nārada dit : «Ô le meilleur des rois, ne t’afflige pas. Ce seigneur de la terre a trouvé sa fin selon son propre cours (selon son karma et sa destinée), et non par ta faute.»

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• शोचिततव्यम्: to be lamented / should be grieved for
• Type: Verb
• Root: शुच्
• Form: तव्यत् (gerundive/obligative), neuter, nominative, singular, passive necessity

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings / O best of kings
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजेन्द्र
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• स्वतः: of oneself; by oneself; naturally
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वतः

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• पृथिवीपतिः: lord of the earth; king
• पृथिवीपतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवीपति
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• rājendra (the addressed king)
• pṛthivīpati (the king being spoken about)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Nārada teaches restraint in grief: when a ruler’s downfall arises from his own actions and the working of destiny, one should not be consumed by lamentation but remain steady in dharma and discern responsibility accurately.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada addresses a king (rājendra) to console him, stating that the ‘lord of the earth’ in question met his end through his own agency; the listener is urged not to mourn as though personally culpable.