Shloka 25

Devanagari script

यदीदं कत्थनाललोके सिध्येत्‌ कर्म धनंजय । सर्वे भवेयु: सिद्धार्था: कत्थने को हि दुर्गतः,“धनंजय! यदि जगतमें अपनी झूठी प्रशंसा करनेसे ही अभीष्ट कार्यकी सिद्धि हो जाती, तब तो सब लोग सिद्धकाम हो जाते; क्योंकि बातें बनानेमें कौन दरिद्र और दुर्बल होगा?

Transliteration

yadīdaṃ katthanāl loke sidhyet karma dhanaṃjaya | sarve bhaveyuḥ siddhārthāḥ katthane ko hi durgataḥ ||

Translation

Wahai Dhanaṃjaya, jika di dunia ini pekerjaan dapat berhasil hanya dengan omong besar, niscaya semua orang akan mencapai tujuan. Sebab siapa, memang, yang miskin atau tak berdaya dalam membuat klaim dan merangkai kata?

Word by Word

यदिif

इदम्this

कत्थनात्from boasting; by mere talk

लोकेin the world

सिध्येत्would succeed; would be accomplished

कर्मthe task; the work

धनंजयO Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

सर्वेall (people)

भवेयुःwould become; would be

सिद्धार्थाःhaving achieved their aims; successful

कत्थनेin boasting; in talk

कःwho?

हिindeed; for

दुर्गतःunfortunate; in bad condition; poor

Speaker

उलूक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Ulūka

Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contrasts empty boasting with real accomplishment: mere self-praise cannot produce success; ethical worth and true capability are proved by action, not by words.

What is happening in the narrative?

Ulūka addresses Arjuna in a taunting, provocative tone, implying that Arjuna’s claims or reputation mean nothing unless matched by actual deeds—part of the hostile exchange surrounding the impending war.