Shloka 17

Devanagari script

महर्षिलोग उनके ऊपर प्रसन्न होकर उनके कार्योका अनुमोदन करते हुए कहते थे कि असंख्य दक्षिणा देनेवाले राजा अम्बरीष जैसा यज्ञ कर रहे हैं, वैसा न तो पहलेके राजाओंने किया और न आगे कोई करेंगे ।। स चेन्ममार सृञ्जय चतुर्भद्रतरस्त्वया । पुत्रात्‌ पुण्यतरस्तुभ्यं मा पुत्रमनुतप्यथा: । अयज्वानमदाक्षिण्यमश्रि श्रैत्येत्युदाहरत्‌,वैत्य सृंजय! वे पूर्वोक्त चारों कल्याणकारी गुणोंमें तुमसे बढ़-चढ़कर थे और तुम्हारे पुत्रकी अपेक्षा भी अधिक पुण्यात्मा थे। जब वे भी जीवित न रह सके, तब दूसरोंकी तो बात ही क्‍या है? अतः तुम यज्ञ और दान-दक्षिणासे रहित अपने पुत्रके लिये शोक न करो। ऐसा नारदजीने कहा

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | sa cen mamāra sṛñjaya caturbhadrataras tvayā | putrāt puṇyataras tubhyaṃ mā putram anutapyathāḥ || ayajvān amadākṣiṇyam aśrī śraity ety udāharat, vaitya sṛñjaya! ve pūrvokta cāro kalyāṇakārī guṇeṣuṃ tvayā vardhamānāḥ, putrāt api puṇyātmatarāḥ | yadā te ’pi jīvituṃ na śekuḥ, anyeṣāṃ tu kathāiva kā | ataḥ putraṃ prati śokaṃ mā kṛthāḥ, yajña-dāna-dakṣiṇā-rahitam iti ||

Translation

Narada said: “O Sṛñjaya, if even those four men—more blessed than you and more meritorious even than your son—have died, then what need is there to speak of others? Therefore do not grieve for your son, who was without sacrifice and without gifts and priestly fees.” Thus Narada, pointing to the inevitability of death and the ethical weight of yajña and dāna, sought to turn Sṛñjaya from paralyzing sorrow toward dharmic reflection.

Word by Word

सःhe

चेत्if

ममारdied

सृञ्जयO Sṛñjaya

चतुर्भद्रतरःmore auspicious in four ways / possessing fourfold greater auspiciousness

तरःmore (comparative marker)

त्वयाthan you / by you

पुत्रात्than (your) son / from the son

पुण्यतरःmore virtuous

तुभ्यम्to you / for you

माdo not

पुत्रम्son

अनुतप्यथाःdo not grieve / do not lament

अयज्वानम्one who does not sacrifice

अदाक्षिण्यम्absence of gifts/fees (dakṣiṇā)

अश्रिmisfortune / ill-luck (reading uncertain)

श्रैतिattains / befalls (reading uncertain)

इतिthus

उदाहरत्said / uttered

वैindeed

इतिthus

उदाहरत्said / declared

सृञ्जयO Sṛñjaya

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Narada

Sṛñjaya

son of Sṛñjaya (unnamed here)

the four more-auspicious persons (unnamed here)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Narada teaches that death is universal and unavoidable; therefore grief should be moderated by dharmic understanding. He also underscores the moral significance of yajña (sacrificial duty) and dāna/dakṣiṇā (generosity), implying that a life lacking these supports fewer grounds for prideful attachment and should not lead to consuming lamentation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Narada addresses King Sṛñjaya, who is grieving for his son. To console and instruct him, Narada argues from comparison: even exceptionally virtuous and ‘more auspicious’ persons have died; hence Sṛñjaya should not be overwhelmed by sorrow for a son described as lacking sacrificial and charitable conduct.