Shloka 7

Gāndhārī’s Grief, Vyāsa’s Pacification, and the Ethics of Retaliation (गान्धारी-शोकः शमोपदेशश्च)

Devanagari script

उच्यमानस्तु यः श्रेयो गृह्नीते नो हिताहिते । आपद: समनुप्राप्प स शोचत्यनये स्थित:,“जो हितकी बात बतानेपर भी हिताहितकी बातको नहीं समझ पाता, वह अन्यायका आश्रय ले बड़ी भारी विपत्तिमें पड़कर शोक करता है

Transliteration

ucyamānastu yaḥ śreyo gṛhṇīte no hitāhite | āpadaḥ samanupprāpya sa śocaty anaye sthitaḥ ||

Translation

ശ്രേയസ്സിനെക്കുറിച്ച് പറഞ്ഞാലും ഹിതാഹിതഭേദം ഗ്രഹിക്കാത്തവൻ—ആപത്തുകൾ അടുത്തെത്തുമ്പോൾ അധർമ്മത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ച് അതിൽ തന്നെ നിലകൊണ്ട് ദുഃഖിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

उच्यमानःbeing spoken to / being told

तुbut

यःwho

श्रेयःthe better course / welfare

गृह्णीतेaccepts / adopts

नnot

उindeed / emphatic particle

हिताहितेin (matters of) good and bad / beneficial and harmful

आपदःcalamities

समनुप्राप्यhaving reached / having befallen

सःhe

शोचतिgrieves

अनयेby injustice / by wrong conduct

स्थितःstanding / abiding (in)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A person must discern and accept śreyas (true good) and distinguish hita from ahita; ignoring sound counsel and persisting in anaya (unrighteous conduct) leads to crisis and inevitable grief.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration within the Strī Parva’s lamentation context, a general moral reflection is stated: those who do not heed beneficial instruction and cannot judge good versus harmful outcomes are overtaken by calamity and end up grieving due to their own wrongful stance.