Shloka 81

उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents

Devanagari script

उपायविजयं श्रेष्ठमाहुभेंदेन मध्यमम्‌ । जघन्य एष विजयो यो युद्धेन विशाम्पते

Transliteration

upāyavijayaṁ śreṣṭham āhur bhedena madhyamam | jaghanya eṣa vijayo yo yuddhena viśāmpate rājān ||

Translation

ວະຍາສະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໄຊຊະນະທີ່ໄດ້ມາດ້ວຍວິທີການອັນຮອບຄອບ (ນະໂຍບາຍ) ຖືກປະກາດວ່າດີທີ່ສຸດ. ໄຊຊະນະທີ່ໄດ້ມາດ້ວຍ “ເພດ” — ການແຍກສັດຕູໂດຍກໍ່ໃຫ້ເກີດຄວາມແຕກແຍກ — ຖືກນັບວ່າປານກາງ. ແຕ່ໄຊຊະນະທີ່ສຳເລັດດ້ວຍສົງຄາມ ດ້ວຍການຂ້າຟັນແລະການທຳລາຍ, ໂອ ຈອມແຫ່ງປະຊາ, ໂອ ພະຣາຊາ, ແມ່ນໄຊຊະນະທີ່ຕ່ຳທີ່ສຸດ»។

Word by Word

• upāya-vijayam: victory by means (policy)
• upāya-vijayam: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: upāya-vijaya
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• śreṣṭham: the best
• śreṣṭham: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• āhuḥ: they have said / they call
• āhuḥ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (vacane)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Plural

• bhedena: by dissension / by division
• bhedena: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: bheda
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• madhyamam: middling / intermediate
• madhyamam: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madhyama
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• jaghanyaḥ: lowest / worst
• jaghanyaḥ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jaghanya
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• eṣaḥ: this
• eṣaḥ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: etad
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• vijayaḥ: victory
• vijayaḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: vijaya
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• yaḥ: which / that (victory) which
• yaḥ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yad
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• yuddhena: by war / by fighting
• yuddhena: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuddha
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• viśāmpate: O lord of the people
• viśāmpate: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśāmpati
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• rājan (the king addressed)
• viśāmpati (lord of the people)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse ranks forms of victory ethically: the highest is success through wise policy and non-violent means; creating division in the enemy is a lesser, morally mixed method; and victory through open war and killing is the lowest, to be avoided when better options exist.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa addresses a king and offers counsel on governance and conflict: he evaluates different political methods of overcoming an opponent, emphasizing that resorting to war is inferior compared to strategic and diplomatic resolution.