Shloka 32

Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris

Udyoga-parva 94

Devanagari script

समवेता: पृथिव्यां हि राजानो राजसत्तम । अमर्षवशमापतन्ना नाशयेयुरिमा: प्रजा:,नृपश्रेष्ठी भूमण्डलके समस्त राजा यहाँ एकत्र हो अमर्षमें भरकर इन प्रजाओंका नाश करेंगे

Transliteration

samavetāḥ pṛthivyāṃ hi rājāno rājasattama | amarṣavaśam āpatan nā nāśayeyur imāḥ prajāḥ ||

Translation

രാജശ്രേഷ്ഠനേ! ഭൂമിയിലെ രാജാക്കന്മാർ എല്ലാം ഇവിടെ സമവേതരായിരിക്കുന്നു. അവർ ക്രോധവും അമർഷവും വശമാകുകയാണെങ്കിൽ, ഈ പ്രജകളെ നശിപ്പിച്ചേക്കാം.

Word by Word

समवेताःassembled, gathered

पृथिव्याम्on the earth

हिindeed, for

राजानःkings

राजसत्तमO best of kings

अमर्षवशम्under the sway of anger/indignation

आपतन्fell into, came under

नnot

नाशयेयुःwould destroy

इमाःthese

प्रजाःsubjects, people

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

rājānaḥ (kings/rulers)

prajāḥ (subjects/people)

pṛthivī (the earth)

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 warns that when rulers are driven by amarṣa (injured pride/anger), their power can turn destructive, harming the very prajāḥ they are meant to protect—an implicit lesson in rājadharma: self-control is essential to just governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a tense political moment: many kings have gathered, and the atmosphere is volatile. He cautions that if their collective indignation takes over, it could lead to actions that devastate the populace.