Shanti Parva Adhyaya 139 Shloka 194 - Mahabharata | French | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 194

Devanagari script

समाहितकश्चरेद्‌ युक्‍त्या कृतार्थश्न न विश्वसेत्‌ । “इस विषय में शुक्राचार्यने दो गाथाएँ कही हैं। उन्हें ध्यान देकर सुनो। जब अपने और शत्रुपर एक-सी विपत्ति आयी हो

Transliteration

samāhitakaś cared yuktyā kṛtārthaś ca na viśvaset | na viśvased aviśvaste viśvaste nātiviśvaset ||

Translation

Lomaśa dit : «Qu’un homme, maître de lui-même, agisse avec une stratégie prudente ; et, son dessein accompli, qu’il ne mette pas sa confiance dans l’ennemi. On ne doit pas se fier à celui qui n’est pas digne de foi ; et même à celui qui paraît digne de foi, on ne doit pas se fier outre mesure.»

Word by Word

समाहितकःcomposed, self-collected

चरेत्should act / should conduct oneself

युक्त्याwith strategy, by proper means

कृतार्थःhaving achieved one’s purpose

नnot

विश्वसेत्should trust

नnot

विश्वसेत्should trust

अविश्वस्तेin/with one who is untrusted; when (someone) is not trusted

विश्वस्तेin/with one who is trusted; when (someone) is trusted

नnot

अतिexcessively, too much

विश्वसेत्should trust

Speaker

लोमश उवाच

Characters & Entities

Lomaśa

Śukrācārya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Use calm, strategic judgment to secure one’s goal, especially amid danger; but after the objective is achieved, do not become careless by trusting an adversary. Distrust the untrustworthy, and even with the seemingly trustworthy, avoid overtrust.

What is happening in the narrative?

Lomaśa introduces two instructive gāthās attributed to Śukrācārya, presenting a maxim of political-ethical prudence: when facing equal calamity with an enemy, one may make a cautious accommodation to survive and accomplish one’s task, yet should not relax vigilance afterward.