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Shloka 43

उद्योगपर्व — विदुरनीतिः (Adhyāya 37): आयुःक्षयहेतवः, नीतिसूत्राणि, बलभेदाः, पाण्डव-विग्रहदोषदर्शनम्

यत्र स्त्री यत्र कितवो बालो यत्रानुशासिता । मज्जन्ति तेडवशा राजन्‌ नद्यामश्मप्लवा इव

yatra strī yatra kitavo bālo yatrānuśāsitā | majjanti te'vaśā rājan nadyām aśmaplavā iva ||

ວິດູຣະເຕືອນກະສັດວ່າ ອານາຈັກໃດທີ່ອຳນາດຖືກປະດັບໄວ້ໃນມືຂອງແມ່ຍິງ, ນັກພະນັນ, ຫຼືເດັກນ້ອຍ ອານາຈັກນັ້ນຈະພິນາດຢ່າງຫມົດຫວັງ. ປະຊາຊົນຂາດການປົກຄອງທີ່ໝັ້ນຄົງ ແລະປັນຍາພິຈາລະນາ ຈະຈົມລົງໃນຄວາມວິບັດ—ເຫມືອນຜູ້ທີ່ນັ່ງເຮືອຫີນໄປຂ້າມແມ່ນ້ຳ.

यत्रwhere
यत्र:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयत्र
Formindeclinable (locative sense)
स्त्रीa woman
स्त्री:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootस्त्री
Formfeminine, nominative singular
यत्रwhere
यत्र:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयत्र
Formindeclinable (locative sense)
कितवःa gambler
कितवः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootकितव
Formmasculine, nominative singular
बालःa child
बालः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootबाल
Formmasculine, nominative singular
यत्रwhere
यत्र:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयत्र
Formindeclinable (locative sense)
अनुशासिताrule/authority; governance
अनुशासिता:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअनुशासित
Formfeminine, nominative singular
मज्जन्तिsink, drown
मज्जन्ति:
TypeVerb
Rootमज्ज्
Formpresent tense (laṭ), 3rd person plural, parasmaipada
तेthey/those people
ते:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
Formmasculine, nominative plural
अवशाःhelpless, powerless
अवशाः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootअवश
Formmasculine, nominative plural
राजन्O king
राजन्:
TypeNoun
Rootराजन्
Formmasculine, vocative singular
नद्याम्in a river
नद्याम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootनदी
Formfeminine, locative singular
अश्मप्लवाःstone-boats (boats of stone)
अश्मप्लवाः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअश्मप्लव
Formmasculine, nominative plural
इवlike, as if
इव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव
Formindeclinable

विदुर उवाच

V
Vidura
K
King (Dhṛtarāṣṭra, addressed as rājan)
W
woman (strī)
G
gambler (kitava)
C
child (bāla)
R
river (nadī)
S
stone-boat (aśmaplava)

Educational Q&A

Governance must rest on mature discernment and self-control; when power is effectively driven by immaturity or vice (symbolized by a child and a gambler) or by improper influence, society becomes helpless and collapses—like trusting a stone boat that cannot float.

In Udyoga Parva, Vidura counsels the king during the tense pre-war negotiations. He delivers moral-political instruction (nīti), warning that a kingdom misruled by unfit or destabilizing influences will inevitably plunge its people into disaster.