Shloka 10

अध्याय १५२: लोभः पापस्य मूलम् — Greed as the Root of Wrongdoing

Devanagari script

शौनक उवाच किमाश्चर्य यदप्राज्ञो बहु कुर्यादसाम्प्रतम्‌ । इति वै पण्डितो भूत्वा भूतानां नानुकुप्यते,शौनकने कहा--यदि अज्ञानी मनुष्य अयुक्त कार्य भी कर बैठे तो इसमें कौन-सी आश्चर्यकी बात है; अतः इस रहस्यको जाननेवाले बुद्धिमान्‌ पुरुषको चाहिये कि वह प्राणियोंपर क्रोध न करे

Transliteration

śaunaka uvāca | kim āścaryaṁ yad aprājño bahu kuryād asāmpratam | iti vai paṇḍito bhūtvā bhūtānāṁ nānukupyate |

Translation

Śaunaka dit : «Qu’y a-t-il d’étonnant à ce qu’un insensé commette bien des actes déplacés ? Ainsi, celui qui est devenu véritablement savant—connaissant ce principe—ne doit pas se mettre en colère contre les êtres vivants.»

Word by Word

शौनकःShaunaka

उवाचsaid

किम्what

आश्चर्यम्wonder, surprise

यत्that (which)

अप्राज्ञःunwise, ignorant

बहुmuch, many things

कुर्यात्might do / should do

असाम्प्रतम्improper, untimely, not in accordance

इतिthus

वैindeed

पण्डितःa wise man

भूत्वाhaving become

भूतानाम्of beings

नnot

अनुकुप्यतेis angry (towards), gets irritated

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śaunaka

bhūtāni (living beings/creatures)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Improper behavior from the ignorant is to be expected; therefore the truly wise restrain anger and respond to living beings with understanding rather than irritation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Shaunaka states a reflective maxim: since foolish people naturally act wrongly, a learned person should not be provoked into anger against creatures.