Shloka 3

Devanagari script

अर्थवन्त्युपपन्नानि वाक्यानि गुणवन्ति च | नैव सम्प्राप्तुवन्ति त्वां मुमूर्षमिव भेषजम्‌,जैसे मरणासन्न पुरुषको कोई भी दवा लागू नहीं होती, उसी प्रकार ये युक्तियुक्त, गुणकारी और सार्थक वचन भी तेरे हृदयतक पहुँच नहीं पाते हैं (यह कितने दुःखकी बात है)

Transliteration

arthavanty upapannāni vākyāni guṇavanti ca | naiva samprāptuvanti tvāṃ mumūrṣam iva bheṣajam ||

Translation

Kata-kata yang bermakna, bernalar, dan kaya kebajikan pun tidak sampai ke hatimu—seperti obat yang tak lagi manjur bagi seseorang yang sudah di ambang maut.

Word by Word

अर्थवन्तिmeaningful

उपपन्नानिwell-reasoned, appropriate

वाक्यानिstatements, words

गुणवन्तिvirtuous, beneficial

चand

नnot

एवindeed, at all

सम्प्राप्तुवन्तिreach, attain

त्वाम्you

मुमूर्षम्one about to die

इवlike, as if

भेषजम्medicine, remedy

Speaker

पुत्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

putra (son, speaker)

tvam (the addressed person)

bheṣaja (medicine)

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?

Even the best advice—meaningful, logical, and virtuous—cannot help someone whose mind is closed or whose course is set toward self-destruction; receptivity is essential for ethical counsel to bear fruit.

What is happening in the narrative?

A son addresses an elder/other person in lament, saying that despite the presence of sound, well-argued words, they fail to affect him—comparing this failure to medicine that cannot work on someone at death’s door.