Shloka 57
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
मा चैतानप्रियं ब्रूहि मा वै ब्रज महारणम् । वक्तव्या मारिषान्ये तु न वक्तव्यास्तु मादूशा:
mā caitānpriyaṃ brūhi mā vai braja mahāraṇam | vaktavyā māriṣānye tu na vaktavyāstu mādṛśāḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ne me dis pas ces paroles flatteuses ; ne va pas à cette grande bataille. D’autres — des aînés vénérables et des hommes plus dignes — peuvent être aptes à donner un tel conseil ; mais des gens comme moi ne le sont pas.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical restraint and humility: not everyone is entitled or qualified to give decisive counsel in grave matters like war; one should recognize proper authority and one’s own limits.
Sañjaya speaks to someone about the impending great battle, urging that he not be addressed with merely pleasing words and that he not proceed into the battle; he adds that such admonition properly belongs to respected elders, not to someone like himself.