Shloka 2

Devanagari script

अकार्षी: साहसमिदं कस्मात्‌ प्रायोपवेशनम्‌ । आत्मत्यागी ह्यथो याति वाच्यतां चायशस्करीम्‌,दानव बोले--भरतवंशका भार वहन करनेवाले महाराज सुयोधन! आप सदा शूरवीरों तथा महामना पुरुषोंसे घिरे रहते हैं, फिर आपने यह आमरण उपवास करनेका साहस क्‍यों किया है? आत्महत्या करनेवाला पुरुष तो अधोगतिको प्राप्त होता है और लोकमें उसकी निन्‍्दा होती है, जो अयश फैलानेवाली है

Transliteration

akārṣīḥ sāhasam idaṃ kasmāt prāyopaveśanam | ātmatyāgī hy atho yāti vācyatāṃ cāyaśaskarīm ||

Translation

“Mengapa engkau melakukan tindakan gegabah ini—tekad berpuasa sampai mati? Sebab orang yang meninggalkan nyawanya sendiri jatuh ke keadaan yang rendah, dan di dunia ia pun mendapat cela—kehinaan yang menyebarkan nama buruk.”

Word by Word

अकार्षीःyou did/made

साहसम्bold act, rashness

इदम्this

कस्मात्from what (cause)? why?

प्रायोपवेशनम्fasting unto death (sitting in resolve)

आत्मत्यागीone who abandons his life; self-killer

हिindeed, for

अथthen, moreover

यातिgoes, attains

वाच्यताम्blame, censurability

चand

अयशस्करीम्bringing ill-fame

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

prāyopaveśana (fasting unto death)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames self-destruction (or a death-seeking fast) as ethically blameworthy: it leads to an inferior destiny and produces public censure and lasting ill-repute, implying that one should face adversity through dharmic endurance rather than self-harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator reports an admonition directed at someone who has undertaken prāyopaveśana (a fast unto death). The speaker challenges the motive for such a drastic vow and warns of its moral and social consequences.