Shloka 18

Devanagari script

पुष्पं पुष्पं विचिन्वीत मूलच्छेदं॑ न कारयेत्‌ । मालाकार इवारामे न यथाड्रारकारक:,जैसे माली बगीचेमें एक-एक फूल तोड़ता है, उसकी जड़ नहीं काटता, उसी प्रकार राजा प्रजाकी रक्षापूर्वक उनसे कर ले। कोयला बनानेवालेकी तरह जड़से नहीं काटे

Transliteration

puṣpaṁ puṣpaṁ vicinvīta mūlacchedaṁ na kārayet | mālākāra ivārāme na yathāṅgārakārakaḥ ||

Translation

തോട്ടത്തിലെ മാലി പുഷ്പം പുഷ്പമായി പറിക്കും; വേരറുക്കുകയില്ല. അതുപോലെ രാജാവും പ്രജയെ സംരക്ഷിച്ച് സംയമത്തോടെ നികുതി സ്വീകരിക്കണം—ചാരക്കൊള്ളിക്കാരനെപ്പോലെ വേരോടെ വെട്ടിക്കളയരുത്.

Word by Word

पुष्पम्a flower

पुष्पम्a flower (each time/one by one)

विचिन्वीतshould pick/collect

मूलच्छेदम्cutting of the root

नnot

कारयेत्should cause to be done / should do (i.e., should not cut)

मालाकारःa garland-maker/gardener

इवlike/as

आरामेin a garden/park

नnot

यथाas/like (in the manner that)

अङ्गारकारकःa charcoal-maker

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

mālākāra (gardener/garland-maker)

aṅgārakāraka (charcoal-maker)

ārāma (orchard/garden)

puṣpa (flower)

mūla (root)

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?

A king should collect revenue gradually and protectively, preserving the people—the source of the kingdom’s strength—rather than exploiting them in a way that destroys their livelihood and future productivity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vidura’s counsel on statecraft and dharma, he uses a vivid analogy: the good ruler is like a gardener who plucks flowers without harming the plant, not like a charcoal-maker who cuts the tree down at the root for short-term benefit.