Shloka 114

Devanagari script

देशाचारान्‌ समयाञ्जातिधर्मान्‌ बुभूषते यः: स परावरज्ञ: । स यत्र तत्राभिगत: सदैव महाजनस्याधिपत्यं करोति,जो मनुष्य देशके व्यवहार, अवसर तथा जातियोंके धर्मोको तत्त्वसे जानना चाहता है, उसे उत्तम-अधमका विवेक हो जाता है। वह जहाँ कहीं भी जाता है, सदा महान्‌ जनसमूहपर अपनी प्रभुता स्थापित कर लेता है

Transliteration

deśācārān samayān jātidharmān bubhūṣate yaḥ sa parāvarajñaḥ | sa yatra tatrābhigataḥ sadaiva mahājanasya adhipatyaṃ karoti ||

Translation

អ្នកណាចង់ដឹងដោយសារសេចក្តីពិតនៃទំនៀមទម្លាប់នៃដែនដី ការប្រព្រឹត្តត្រឹមត្រូវតាមឱកាស និងធម៌របស់សហគមន៍នានា—អ្នកនោះមានការយល់ដឹងអំពីអ្វីខ្ពស់ និងអ្វីទាប។ ទៅទីណាក៏ដោយ គេតែងតាំងអំណាច និងឥទ្ធិពលលើមហាជនបានជានិច្ច។

Word by Word

{'deśa-ācārān''customs and practices of a region/country', 'samayān': 'occasions

proper times and situational norms', 'jāti-dharmān''duties/laws proper to social groups or communities', 'bubhūṣate': 'desires to know

seeks to understand (intensively)', 'yaḥ''who (the person who)', 'saḥ': 'he (such a person)', 'parāvara-jñaḥ': 'knower of higher and lower

one with discernment of relative worth', 'yatra tatra''wherever

in any place', 'abhigataḥ''having arrived

having approached/entered', 'sadaiva''always

invariably', 'mahā-janasya''of the great people/large public

of eminent persons or a great assembly', 'adhipatyam''lordship

mastery', 'karoti''does

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

mahājana (great people/assembly)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True leadership arises from practical wisdom: understanding local customs (deśācāra), situational propriety (samaya), and community duties (jātidharma) gives one discernment (parāvara-jñāna), enabling effective and respected authority among people.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vidura’s counsel during the Udyoga Parva, he articulates a principle of statecraft and conduct: a person who studies and understands social norms and dharma as actually practiced becomes capable of guiding and influencing assemblies wherever he goes.