Shloka 27

Devanagari script

पूर्वमप्यतिदु:शीलो न धैर्य कर्तुमहति

Transliteration

pūrvam apy atiduḥśīlo na dhairyaṃ kartum arhati

Translation

Kṛpa dit : «Déjà auparavant, il était d’une conduite extrêmement mauvaise ; il n’est pas digne de garder la fermeté ni la maîtrise de soi.»

Word by Word

• पूर्वम्: formerly, earlier
• पूर्वम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व

• अपि: also, even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• अतिदुःशीलः: very ill-natured, extremely vicious
• अतिदुःशीलः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतिदुःशील
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• धैर्यम्: steadfastness, patience, self-control
• धैर्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धैर्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कर्तुम्: to do, to practice
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Infinitive (tumun)

• अर्हति: is able/fit, deserves
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

कृप उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kṛpa
• an unnamed male person (implied by atiduḥśīlaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Moral steadiness (dhairya) is presented as inseparable from character (śīla): someone long habituated to misconduct is judged unfit to sustain composure and restraint, especially in crisis.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sauptika Parva’s tense aftermath of battle, Kṛpa comments critically on a person’s disposition, arguing that his prior bad conduct shows he cannot be relied upon for calm, disciplined action.