Shloka 35

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana

Keśava-vākya aftermath

Devanagari script

पृथक्‌ च विनिविष्टानां धर्म धीरो<नुरुध्यते । मध्यमो<र्थ कलिं बाल: काममेवानुरुध्यते

Transliteration

pṛthak ca viniviṣṭānāṃ dharma dhīro'nurudhyate | madhyamo'rtha-kaliṃ bālaḥ kāmam evānurudhyate ||

Translation

जब धर्म, अर्थ और काम अलग-अलग खड़े हों और किसी एक का चयन करना पड़े, तब धीर पुरुष धर्म का ही अनुसरण करता है। मध्यम श्रेणी का मनुष्य—जो प्रायः कलह का कारण बनता है—अर्थ को ग्रहण करता है; और अधम, अज्ञानी पुरुष केवल काम के पीछे दौड़ता है।

Word by Word

• {'pṛthak': 'separately, apart', 'viniviṣṭānām': 'of those that are set/placed (distinctly)

• here, of the aims set apart', 'dharma': 'righteous duty

• right conduct', 'dhīraḥ': 'steadfast, wise, self-possessed person', 'anurudhyate': 'follows, adheres to, aligns oneself with', 'madhyamaḥ': 'middling, of intermediate grade', 'arthaḥ': 'wealth, power, advantage

• material interest', 'kaliḥ / kaliṃ': 'strife, quarrel, discord (also the age/personification of Kali)

• here: conflict-causing principle', 'bālaḥ': 'childish, ignorant, foolish person', 'kāmaḥ': 'desire, pleasure, sensual enjoyment', 'eva': 'only, indeed (emphatic)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• dharma
• artha
• kāma
• kali (as strife)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A person’s character is revealed by what they choose when the aims of life diverge: the wise prioritize dharma, the average prioritize artha (which can breed rivalry), and the ignorant chase kāma alone.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a reflective maxim is stated to frame ethical decision-making in the tense pre-war context of the Udyoga Parva, where competing interests and desires threaten to override righteousness.