Shloka 7

Devanagari script

अधीत्य नीतिशास्त्राणि नीतियुक्तो न दृश्यते । अनभिशनज्ञश्न साचिव्यं गमित: केन हेतुना,कोई मनुष्य नीतिशास्त्रका अध्ययन करके भी नीतियुक्त नहीं देखा जाता और कोई नीतिसे अनभिज्ञ होनेपर भी मन्त्रीके पदपर पहुँच जाता है। इसका क्या कारण है?

Transliteration

adhītya nītiśāstrāṇi nītiyukto na dṛśyate | anabhiśanajñaḥ sacivyaṃ gamitaḥ kena hetunā ||

Translation

യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ പറഞ്ഞു—നീതിശാസ്ത്രങ്ങൾ പഠിച്ചിട്ടും നീതിയുക്തനായി ഒരാളെ കാണുന്നില്ല; മറുവശത്ത്, നയത്തിൽ അജ്ഞനായ ഒരാൾ പോലും മന്ത്രിസ്ഥാനം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു. ഇത് ഏതു കാരണത്താലാണ്?

Word by Word

अधीत्यhaving studied

नीतिशास्त्राणिtreatises on polity/ethics

नीतियुक्तःendowed with policy/ethical conduct

नnot

दृश्यतेis seen / is found

अनभिज्ञःignorant / not knowledgeable

चand / but

साचिव्यम्ministership / the office of a minister

गमितःis made to attain / is led to

केनby what? / by whom?

हेतुनाby what cause/reason

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

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 highlights the gap between theoretical learning (studying nītiśāstra) and lived ethical competence, and questions why social-political appointments often do not align with merit or true discernment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira raises a reflective inquiry about governance: why some who have studied policy are not actually righteous or capable in conduct, while others lacking such knowledge still obtain ministerial authority.