Sabha Parva Adhyaya 55 Shloka 6 - Mahabharata | Lao | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 6

Devanagari script

लोकवृत्ताद्‌ राजवृत्तमन्यदाह बृहस्पति: । तस्माद्‌ राज्ञाप्रमत्तेन स्वार्थश्रिन्त्य: सदैव हि

Transliteration

lokavṛttād rājavṛttam anyad āha bṛhaspatiḥ | tasmād rājñāpramattena svārthaś cintyaḥ sadaiva hi ||

Translation

ທຸຣະໂຍທະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ພຣະບຣິຫັດສະປະຕິ ໄດ້ກ່າວວ່າ ຈັນຍາຂອງການເປັນກະສັດ ແຕກຕ່າງຈາກຈັນຍາຂອງຊາວໂລກທົ່ວໄປ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ກະສັດພຶງຕື່ນຕົວຢູ່ເສມອ ແລະຄິດຄຳນຶງເຖິງຜົນປະໂຫຍດຂອງຕົນຢູ່ທຸກເວລາ.»

Word by Word

लोकवृत्तात्from the conduct of the people

राजवृत्तम्the conduct of a king

अन्यत्different, other

आहsaid

बृहस्पतिःBṛhaspati

तस्मात्therefore, from that

राज्ञाby the king

अप्रमत्तेनby one who is vigilant/unheedless (i.e., not careless)

स्वार्थचिन्त्यःto be thought of as one’s own purpose (i.e., one should think of one’s own interest)

सदैवalways

हिindeed, for

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Duryodhana

Bṛhaspati

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 asserts a separation between ordinary social morality (lokavṛtta) and the special code of kingship (rājavṛtta), urging the ruler to be constantly vigilant and to prioritize political self-interest as a principle of governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sabha Parva context, Duryodhana articulates a hard-edged political stance, citing Bṛhaspati as an authority to justify a king’s distinct conduct and the need to focus on advantage and strategy rather than common social expectations.