Shloka 34
Śṛṅgī’s Curse on King Parikṣit
Parikṣit–Śṛṅgī–Takṣaka Causal Link
मया हीद॑ विधातव्यं भवतां यद्धितं भवेत् । अनेनाहं भृशं तप्ये गुणदोषौ मदाश्रयौ,“मुझे वही काम करना है, जिसमें तुम-लोगोंका वास्तविक हित हो। इसीलिये मैं अधिक चिन्तित हूँ; क्योंकि तुम सबमें बड़ा होनेके कारण गुण और दोषका सारा उत्तरदायित्व मुझपर ही है”
mayā hīdaṁ vidhātavyaṁ bhavatāṁ yaddhitaṁ bhavet | anenāhaṁ bhṛśaṁ tapye guṇadoṣau madāśrayau ||
“I must do precisely that which will truly be for your welfare. For this reason I am deeply troubled: since I am the elder among you, the responsibility for both merit and fault rests upon me.”
शेष उवाच
Educational Q&A
True leadership is measured by commitment to others’ welfare (hita) and by accepting accountability for outcomes—both virtues and faults—especially when one holds seniority or authority.
Śeṣa speaks as a responsible elder, stating that he must choose the action that genuinely benefits the others, and he expresses inner distress because he feels that the moral credit and blame for the group’s conduct ultimately falls upon him.