Shloka 10

Vyāsa’s Consolation to Yudhiṣṭhira: Tapas, Kāla, and the Difficulty of Dāna (दान-तपस्-विवेकः)

Devanagari script

न तु गन्धर्वराजस्य सैनिका मन्दचेतस:

Transliteration

na tu gandharvarājasya sainikā mandacetasaḥ

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: But the troops of the king of the Gandharvas were not dull-witted; they did not act with careless judgment. In the unfolding conflict, this line underscores that power joined with alert intelligence becomes formidable, and that ethical discernment in action depends not merely on strength but on clarity of mind.

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• तु: but/however
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• गन्धर्वराजस्य: of the king of the Gandharvas
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्वराज
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• सैनिकाः: soldiers
• सैनिकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैनिक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मन्दचेतसः: dull-witted / of weak understanding
• मन्दचेतसः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्दचेतस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Gandharvarāja
• Gandharvas
• sainikāḥ (troops)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that effective action in conflict requires alertness and discernment; mere force is insufficient when opponents are intelligent and well-led. Ethically, it implies that responsibility and outcomes hinge on the quality of judgment (cetas) guiding power.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśampāyana remarks on the capability of the Gandharva king’s forces, emphasizing that they are not foolish or inattentive—setting the tone for a serious confrontation where the opposing side is competent and strategically aware.