Shloka 19

Ārjava, Satya, and the Virocana–Sudhanvan Exemplum

Udyoga-parva 35

Devanagari script

न श्रद्दधाति कल्याण परेभ्योडप्यात्मशड्कित: । निराकरोति मित्राणि यो वै सो5धमपूरुष:,जो अपने ही ऊपर संदेह होनेके कारण दूसरोंसे भी कल्याण होनेका विश्वास नहीं करता, मित्रोंको भी दूर रखता है, वह अवश्य ही अधम पुरुष है

Transliteration

na śraddadhāti kalyāṇaṃ parebhyo 'py ātmaśaṅkitaḥ | nirākaroti mitrāṇi yo vai so 'dhamapūruṣaḥ ||

Translation

Le Haṃsa dit : Celui qui, doutant de lui-même, ne peut même pas croire que le bien puisse venir d’autrui, et qui repousse ses amis, celui-là est assurément un homme vil.

Word by Word

नnot

श्रद्दधातिbelieves / has faith

कल्याणम्welfare, good

परेभ्यःfrom others

अपिeven, also

आत्मशङ्कितःdoubting himself; self-suspecting

निराकरोतिrejects, drives away

मित्राणिfriends

यःwho

वैindeed, surely

सःhe

अधमपूरुषःa base/low man

Speaker

हंस उवाच

Characters & Entities

Haṃsa (the speaker)

mitra (friends)

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?

Self-distrust can harden into distrust of others and the rejection of friends; such a disposition is ethically blameworthy because it blocks receptivity to good and undermines social bonds essential to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a didactic exchange within Udyoga Parva, the Haṃsa delivers a moral judgment: a person who suspects himself cannot trust even others’ goodwill and therefore drives away friends; this is presented as a mark of a degraded character.