Shloka 46

Devanagari script

विपरीतकश्न मे शत्रुर्नियम्यश्न भवेन्नर: । राजा युधिष्ठिर बड़े दयालु थे। वे सदा प्रसन्न रहकर अपने भाइयों और मन्त्रियोंसे कहा करते थे कि “ये राजा धृतराष्ट्र मेरे और आपलोगोंके माननीय हैं। जो इनकी आज्ञाके अधीन रहता है, वही मेरा सुहृद्‌ है। विपरीत आचरण करनेवाला मेरा शत्रु है। वह मेरे दण्डका भागी होगा

Transliteration

viparītakṛc ca me śatrur niyamyakṛc ca bhaven naraḥ |

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。「わが命に背いて振る舞う者はわが敵である。だが己を抑え、わが指図に従って行う者は、わが身内として数えられる。」この文脈で、慈悲深きユディシュティラ王は繰り返し兄弟と大臣たちに命じた。――ドリタラーシュトラを敬うべき長老として遇せよ。老王の望みに従うことは忠誠と見なし、背くことは敵意と見なして罰すべし、と。

Word by Word

• {'viparīta': 'contrary, opposite, against (what is proper or commanded)', 'kṛt (kṛc/kṛt)': 'doing, acting

• one who does', 'me': 'my', 'śatruḥ': 'enemy', 'niyamya': 'having restrained/controlled (oneself)

• in conformity with restraint', 'bhavet': 'would be, becomes', 'naraḥ': 'man, person'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Loyalty in a righteous polity is defined by disciplined obedience to legitimate authority and reverence to elders: self-restraint and compliance mark a friend, while deliberate contrariness marks an enemy deserving of daṇḍa (punitive correction).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes Yudhiṣṭhira’s consistent instruction to his brothers and ministers: Dhṛtarāṣṭra is to be treated as a venerable elder; those who follow his directives are regarded as allies, and those who act against them are treated as adversaries subject to punishment.