Shloka 173

Saṃsāra-Gahana Allegory: The Brāhmaṇa in the Forest and Well (संसारगहन-आख्यान)

Devanagari script

स्वादनीयानि भूतानां यैर्बालो विप्रकृष्यते । भरतश्रेष्ठ) समस्त प्राणियोंको स्वादिष्ट प्रतीत होनेवाले उस मधुको, जिसपर बालक आदृष्ट हो जाते हैं, वे मक्खियाँ बारंबार पीना चाहती थीं

Transliteration

svādanīyāni bhūtānāṃ yair bālo viprakṛṣyate |

Translation

Vidura remarque que certains plaisirs paraissent doux aux êtres vivants et détournent irrésistiblement l’esprit immature. Sur le plan éthique, il avertit que ce qui a bon goût peut devenir un appât, écartant du discernement et de la maîtrise de soi, menant à l’attachement répété et au malheur.

Word by Word

स्वादनीयानिtasty, to-be-tasted (pleasant to taste)

भूतानाम्of beings/creatures

यैःby which/with which

बालःa child

विप्रकृष्यतेis drawn/attracted (is pulled toward)

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

bāla (the immature/child)

bhūta (living beings)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Pleasures that seem sweet can entice the immature mind and pull it away from discrimination; therefore one should cultivate restraint and clear judgment rather than repeatedly chasing what merely tastes good.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura is offering reflective counsel, using a general observation about how ‘sweet’ objects attract beings—especially the immature—to illustrate the danger of being lured by sensory allurements.