Shloka 11

Devanagari script

मुखानि ऋतवो मासा: पादा द्वादश कीर्तिता: । ये तु वृक्ष निकृन्‍्तन्ति मूषिका: सततोत्थिता:

Transliteration

mukhāni ṛtavo māsāḥ pādā dvādaśa kīrtitāḥ | ye tu vṛkṣa nikṛntanti mūṣikāḥ satatotthitāḥ ||

Translation

അതിന്റെ മുഖങ്ങൾ ഋതുക്കളാണ്; അതിന്റെ പന്ത്രണ്ട് പാദങ്ങൾ മാസങ്ങളെന്ന് പറയപ്പെടുന്നു. എന്നും ഉയർന്നുവരുന്ന എലികൾ ആ വൃക്ഷത്തെ കടിച്ചുകീറി ക്ഷയിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

मुखानिfaces; mouths

ऋतवःseasons

मासाःmonths

पादाःfeet; quarters

द्वादशtwelve

कीर्तिताःare declared; are described

येwho; those who

तुbut; however

वृक्षान्trees

निकृन्तन्तिcut down; hew

मूषिकाःrats; mice

सततconstantly; always

उत्थिताःrisen up; having arisen

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

Ṛ

ṛtavaḥ (seasons)

māsāḥ (months)

vṛkṣa (tree)

mūṣikāḥ (mice/rats)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Time is orderly (seasons and months) yet relentlessly consuming (the ever-active ‘mice’). Therefore one should act with awareness and responsibility, not postponing dharmic duties or assuming life is secure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura speaks in a reflective, admonitory tone, employing a metaphor of a tree whose structure is marked by seasons and months, while unseen, ceaseless forces (mice) continually gnaw it down—an image meant to awaken urgency and ethical clarity amid grief and aftermath.