Shloka 2

Jarā’s Account and the Enthronement of Jarāsandha (जरासंधोत्पत्तिः अभिषेकश्च)

Devanagari script

न सम मृत्युं वयं विद्य रात्रौ वा यदि वा दिवा | न चापि कंचिदमरमयुद्धेनानुशुश्रुम,महाराज! हमलोग यह नहीं जानते कि मौत कब आयेगी? रातमें आयेगी या दिनमें? (क्योंकि उसके नियत समयका ज्ञान किसीको नहीं है।) हमने यह भी नहीं सुना है कि युद्ध न करनेके कारण कोई अमर हो गया हो

Transliteration

na sma mṛtyuṃ vayaṃ vidma rātrau vā yadi vā divā | na cāpi kaṃcid amaram ayuddhenānuśuśruma, mahārāja ||

Translation

ವಾಯು ಹೇಳಿದನು— ಮಹಾರಾಜನೇ! ಮರಣವು ಯಾವಾಗ ಬರುತ್ತದೆ—ರಾತ್ರಿ ಅಥವಾ ಹಗಲು—ಎಂದು ನಮಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯದು; ಅದರ ನಿಶ್ಚಿತ ಘಳಿಗೆ ಯಾರಿಗೂ ತಿಳಿದಿಲ್ಲ. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಯುದ್ಧ ಮಾಡದೆ ಇದ್ದುದರಿಂದ ಯಾರಾದರೂ ಅಮರರಾದರು ಎಂದು ನಾವು ಕೇಳಿಲ್ಲ.

Word by Word

नnot

सम्indeed/fully (emphatic particle/prefix used adverbially)

मृत्युम्death

वयम्we

विद्मknow

रात्रौat night

वाor

यदिif/whether

वाor

दिवाby day / in the daytime

नnot

चand

अपिalso/even

कञ्चित्anyone (someone)

अमरम्immortal

अयुद्धेनby non-fighting / by abstaining from battle

अनुशुश्रुमhave heard

महाराजO great king

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

Mahārāja (the king addressed)

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?

Death is uncertain in timing and cannot be avoided by mere inaction; therefore one should not abandon rightful duty out of fear, since abstaining from battle does not grant immortality.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva addresses the king and argues against hesitation: since no one knows the hour of death and non-combat has never made anyone deathless, one should not shrink from the duty of fighting when it is dharmically required.