Shloka 21

Devanagari script

एवं विद्वान्‌ समुन्तिष्ठ प्रयतो भव मा शुच: । श्रुतस्ते सम्भवो मृत्योस्तपांस्यनुपमानि च,राजन्‌! ऐसा जानकर तुम युद्धके लिये उठो। मन और इन्द्रियोंको संयममें रखो तथा शोक न करो। तुमने मृत्युकी उत्पत्ति और उसकी अनुपम तपस्याका वृत्तान्त सुन लिया है

Transliteration

evaṁ vidvān samuttiṣṭha prayato bhava mā śucaḥ | śrutas te sambhavo mṛtyos tapāṁsy anupamāni ca, rājan ||

Translation

「このことを知ったなら、戦いのために立ち上がれ。努め励み、心と諸感官を制して、嘆くな。王よ、汝は死の起こりと、それに結びつく比類なき苦行の物語をすでに聞いたのだ。」

Word by Word

एवम्thus, in this manner

विद्वान्knowing, wise (one)

समुत्तिष्ठrise up, stand up (for action)

प्रयतःself-controlled, disciplined

भवbe, become

माdo not

शुचःgrieve, sorrow

श्रुतःheard

तेto you / by you (contextually: by you)

सम्भवःorigin, arising

मृत्योःof Death

तपांसिausterities, penances

अनुपमानिincomparable

चand

राजन्O king

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Rājan (the king addressed)

Mṛtyu (Death)

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?

Having understood the teaching about mortality (Death’s origin and its associated austerities), one should act according to dharma without being overwhelmed by grief—maintaining discipline, restraint, and readiness to perform one’s duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa concludes an explanatory account about Death—how it arose and the extraordinary tapas connected with it—and then exhorts the king he is addressing to rise for the impending conflict, remain self-controlled, and abandon sorrow.