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Shloka 27

अदारा-नीति

Crisis Composure) and ‘Jaya’ Śravaṇa (Morale-Instruction

अथ ये नैव कुर्वन्ति नैव जातु भवन्ति ते । ऐकगुण्यमनीहायामभाव: कर्मणां फलम्‌

atha ye naiva kurvanti naiva jātu bhavanti te | aikaguṇyam anīhāyām abhāvaḥ karmaṇāṃ phalam ||

എന്നാൽ യാതൊരു കർമ്മവും ചെയ്യാത്തവർ—ഒരിക്കലും, ഏതൊരു സാഹചര്യത്തിലും—ലോകത്തിൽ കർത്തൃത്വം നേടുകയില്ല. ഏകപക്ഷ ജഡതയും പരിശ്രമലേശമില്ലായ്മയും നിറഞ്ഞ അവസ്ഥയിൽ കർമ്മഫലം വെറും അഭാവം മാത്രം; ഫലം ഉദിക്കുകയില്ല.

अथthen/now
अथ:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअथ
येwho (those who)
ये:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootयद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
not
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
एवindeed/just
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
कुर्वन्तिdo/perform
कुर्वन्ति:
TypeVerb
Rootकृ
FormPresent (Lat), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada
not
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
एवindeed/just
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
जातुever/at any time
जातु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootजातु
भवन्तिbecome/are
भवन्ति:
TypeVerb
Rootभू
FormPresent (Lat), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada
तेthey/those
ते:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
ऐकगुण्यम्single quality/one-sidedness (uniformity)
ऐकगुण्यम्:
TypeNoun
Rootऐकगुण्य
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
अनीहायाम्in non-effort/in inactivity
अनीहायाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootअनीहा
FormFeminine, Locative, Singular
अभावःabsence/non-existence
अभावः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअभाव
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
कर्मणाम्of actions/deeds
कर्मणाम्:
TypeNoun
Rootकर्मन्
FormNeuter, Genitive, Plural
फलम्fruit/result
फलम्:
TypeNoun
Rootफल
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular

पुत्र उवाच

Educational Q&A

The verse teaches that complete inaction and refusal to strive lead to a null outcome: without effort, there is no fruition of deeds. Ethical life requires purposeful action; inertia yields only absence of results.

In a didactic exchange attributed to the 'son' (putra), the speaker underscores a moral principle relevant to decision-making in the Udyoga Parva: one cannot attain meaningful ends—personal or social—by avoiding action; non-effort produces no fruit.