Shloka 4

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

Udyoga-parva 94

Devanagari script

कब | | | - का ष्रै | ; / 7000 ०५९ राजन्‌ नान्यत्‌ प्रवक्तव्यं तव नैःश्रेयसं वच: । विदितं होव ते सर्व वेदितव्यमरिंदम,शत्रुदमन नरेश! मुझे इसके सिवा दूसरी कोई कल्याणकारक बात आपसे नहीं कहनी है; क्योंकि जाननेयोग्य जितनी बातें हैं, वे सब आपको विदित ही हैं

Transliteration

rājan nānyat pravaktavyaṃ tava naiḥśreyasaṃ vacaḥ | viditaṃ hova te sarvaṃ veditavyam ariṃdama ||

Translation

ശത്രുദമന രാജാവേ! നിന്റെ ശ്രേയസ്സിനായി ഇതൊഴികെ മറ്റൊന്നും പറയേണ്ടതില്ല; കാരണം അറിയേണ്ടതെല്ലാം നിനക്ക് ഇതിനകം തന്നെ അറിയാം।

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'rājan', 'definition': 'O king

• vocative address to a ruler'}, {'term': 'na anyat', 'definition': 'nothing else

• no other (thing/statement)'}, {'term': 'pravaktavyam', 'definition': 'to be spoken

• fit/necessary to be said'}, {'term': 'tava', 'definition': 'for you

• your'}, {'term': 'naiḥśreyasam', 'definition': 'highest good, true welfare, ultimate benefit'}, {'term': 'vacaḥ', 'definition': 'speech, word, counsel'}, {'term': 'viditam', 'definition': 'known, understood'}, {'term': 'hova', 'definition': 'indeed/it is said

• narrative particle used in epic style'}, {'term': 'te', 'definition': 'to you

• your'}, {'term': 'sarvam', 'definition': 'all, everything'}, {'term': 'veditavyam', 'definition': 'that which is to be known

• knowable/needful to know'}, {'term': 'ariṃdama', 'definition': 'subduer of enemies

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• rājan (the king addressed)
• ariṃdama (epithet of the king)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True welfare (naiḥśreyasa) is not advanced by excessive speech when the listener already knows the essentials; wise counsel includes restraint and recognition of the hearer’s understanding.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśampāyana addresses a king respectfully, stating that he will not add further ‘beneficial’ advice because the king already possesses knowledge of all that needs to be known.