Shloka 23

Devanagari script

नाहं परकृतं दोषं त्वय्याधास्थे कथंचन । यथासुखं वै जीव त्वं प्राणानवसृजामि ते,“दूसरे (कलियुग)-के किये हुए अपराधको मैं किसी तरह तेरे मत्थे नहीं मदूँगा। तू सुखपूर्वक जीवित रह। मैं तेरे प्राण तुझे वापस देता हूँ

Transliteration

bṛhadaśva uvāca | nāhaṃ parakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ tvayy ādhāsthe kathaṃcana | yathāsukhaṃ vai jīva tvaṃ prāṇān avasṛjāmi te |

Translation

Bṛhadaśva said: “I will not, in any way, lay upon you the blame for a fault committed by another. Live on in comfort; I release your life-breaths back to you.”

Word by Word

नnot

अहम्I

परकृतम्done by another

दोषम्fault, offense

त्वयिin/onto you

आधास्येI shall place/impute

कथंचनin any way, at all

यथाas, according to

सुखम्comfort, ease

वैindeed

जीवlive

त्वम्you

प्राणान्life-breaths, life

अवसृजामिI release, I let go (grant back)

तेto you

Speaker

बृहदश्चव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhadaśva

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should not transfer or impose the guilt of another’s wrongdoing onto an innocent person; ethical judgment requires accurate attribution of responsibility, tempered with compassion and the protection of life.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva addresses someone whose life is in his power, declares that he will not hold them responsible for another’s offense, and grants them life—symbolically ‘returning’ their prāṇas and allowing them to live in peace.