Shloka 48

धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)

Devanagari script

।। नान्यदत्र परं मन्ये वनवासादूृते प्रभो

Transliteration

nānyad atra paraṁ manye vanavāsād ṛte prabho

Translation

O lord, in this matter I see no higher course than accepting exile to the forest; it is the supreme path here, preserving what is right and avoiding a greater wrong.

Word by Word

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• anyat: anything else
• anyat: Karta
• Type: Pronoun/Adjective
• Root: anya
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• atra: here; in this matter
• atra: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra

• param: higher; better; supreme
• param: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• manye: I think; I consider
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (मनँ)
• Form: lat, present, first, singular, ātmanepada

• vana-vāsāt: than forest-dwelling; from exile in the forest
• vana-vāsāt: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana-vāsa
• Form: masculine, ablative, singular

• ṛte: except; without
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ṛte

• prabho: O lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

Speaker

धघतयाट्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• prabhu (addressed lord/master)
• vanavāsa (exile/forest-dwelling)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When faced with a morally fraught situation, choosing a path of restraint and self-sacrifice (here, forest exile) can be the highest option if it protects dharma and prevents greater harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker addresses a superior as 'prabho' and advises that, given the circumstances, there is no better resolution than accepting vanavāsa (exile to the forest), implying a preference for ethical preservation over escalation.