Shloka 5

Kṛṣṇasya Khāṇḍavaprasthāt Dvārakā-prayāṇaḥ | Krishna’s Departure for Dvārakā

Devanagari script

अर्थ्य तथ्यं हितं वाक्‍्यं लघु युक्तमनुत्तरम्‌ । उवाच भगवान्‌ भद्रां सुभद्रां भद्रभाषिणीम्‌,भगवानने मंगलमय वचन बोलनेवाली कल्याणमयी सुभद्रासे बहुत थोड़े, सत्य, प्रयोजनपूर्ण, हितकारी, युक्तियुक्त एवं अकाट्य वचनोंद्वारा अपने जानेकी आवश्यकता बतायी (और उसे ढाढ़स बँधाया)

Transliteration

arthyaṃ tathyaṃ hitaṃ vākyaṃ laghu yuktam anuttaram | uvāca bhagavān bhadrāṃ subhadrāṃ bhadrabhāṣiṇīm ||

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。尊き御方は、言葉も吉祥なるスバドラに向かい、短くとも重みある言葉を述べた—真実で、要を得て、益があり、善をもたらし、理にかなっていて反駁しがたい。そうして出立の必然を告げ、慰めによって彼女の心を鎮めた。

Word by Word

अर्थ्यम्purposeful, meaningful

तथ्यम्true

हितम्beneficial

वाक्यम्speech, statement

लघुbrief, short

युक्तम्well-reasoned, appropriate

अनुत्तरम्unanswerable, unsurpassed

उवाचsaid, spoke

भगवान्the blessed lord

भद्राम्Bhadrā (the auspicious lady)

सुभद्राम्Subhadrā

भद्रभाषिणीम्one who speaks auspicious words

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Subhadrā

Bhagavān (honorific speaker, unnamed in this verse)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse praises ideal speech: it should be truthful (tathya), beneficial (hita), purposeful (arthya), concise (laghu), rational and fitting (yukta), and so sound that it cannot be reasonably overturned (anuttara). Such speech both communicates necessity and supports the listener emotionally.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that a revered figure speaks to Subhadrā. He explains the need to depart and reassures her, doing so with carefully chosen, ethically exemplary words.