Shloka 153

अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope

Devanagari script

यदाश्रौष॑ जातुषाद्‌ वेश्मनस्तान्‌ मुक्तान्‌ पार्थान्‌ पज्च कुन्त्या समेतान्‌ । युक्त चैषां विदुरं स्वार्थसिद्धौ तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,जब मैंने सुना कि लाक्षाभवनसे अपनी मातासहित पाँचों पाण्डव बच गये हैं और स्वयं विदुर उनकी स्वार्थसिद्धिके प्रयत्नमें तत्पर हैं, संजय! तभी मैंने विजयकी आशा छोड़ दी थी

Transliteration

yadāśrauṣaṁ jātuṣād veśmanas tān muktān pārthān pañca kuntyā sametān | yuktaṁ caiṣāṁ viduraṁ svārthasiddhau tadā nāśaṁse vijayāya sañjaya ||

Translation

When I heard that the five Pārthas, together with Kuntī, had escaped from the house of lac, and that Vidura himself was actively engaged in securing their purpose, then, Sañjaya, I no longer held any hope of victory.

Word by Word

• {'yadā': 'when', 'aśrauṣam (aśrauṣaṁ)': 'I heard', 'jātuṣāt': 'from lac

• made of lac (jātuṣa)', 'veśmanaḥ (veśmanas)': 'from the house, from the dwelling', 'tān': 'those (them)', 'muktān': 'freed, escaped, released', 'pārthān': 'the sons of Pṛthā (Kuntī), i.e., the Pāṇḍavas', 'pañca': 'five', 'kuntyā sametān': 'accompanied by Kuntī

• together with Kuntī', 'yuktam': 'engaged, intent upon, devoted to', 'ca': 'and', 'eṣām': 'of/for these (persons)', 'viduram': 'Vidura', 'svārtha-siddhau': 'in the accomplishment of their aim/interest

• in securing their objective', 'tadā': 'then', 'na āśaṁse (nāśaṁse)': 'I did not hope

• I abandoned hope', 'vijayāya': 'for victory', 'sañjaya': 'O Sañjaya'}

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Vidura
• Kuntī
• Pārthas (the five Pāṇḍavas)
• Jātuṣa-veśman (lac house / Lakṣāgṛha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Unrighteous schemes lose their force when dharmic counsel and timely protection intervene; the presence of a wise, principled ally (Vidura) supporting the vulnerable becomes a decisive moral and practical advantage.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker reports hearing that the five Pāṇḍavas, along with their mother Kuntī, escaped the lac-house plot, and that Vidura is actively helping them achieve their aims; this news makes the speaker abandon hope of victory.