Shloka 5

याज्ञसेनी-प्रश्नः

Draupadī’s Question in the Assembly

Devanagari script

मधु वै माध्विको लब्ध्वा प्रपातं नैव बुध्यते । आरुह्यु तं मज्जति वा पतन चाधिगच्छति

Transliteration

madhu vai mādhviko labdhvā prapātaṁ naiva budhyate | āruhya taṁ majjati vā patanaṁ cādhigacchati ||

Translation

Vidura berkata: Seorang lelaki yang telah menemui madu tidak menyedari bahaya jatuh. Ketika dia memanjat untuk mencapainya, dia sama ada tenggelam dalam kemanisan yang diperoleh, atau dia menemui kejatuhan yang membinasakan. Ertinya, ketamakan akan nikmat segera membutakan mata terhadap risiko dan kehancuran yang sudah dapat diduga.

Word by Word

• मधु: honey
• मधु: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वै: indeed/for emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• माध्विकः: honey-gatherer/seller of honey
• माध्विकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: माध्विक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• लब्ध्वा: having obtained/found
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• प्रपातम्: a fall/precipice (danger of falling)
• प्रपातम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रपात
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• एव: just/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• बुध्यते: understands/realizes
• Type: Verb
• Root: बुध्
• Form: Lat (Present), Atmanepada, Third, Singular

• आरुह्य: having climbed
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-रुह्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• तम्: that (place/height)
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• मज्जति: sinks/is immersed (is absorbed)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मज्ज्
• Form: Lat (Present), Parasmaipada, Third, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• पतनम्: a fall/falling down
• पतनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पतन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अधिगच्छति: attains/comes to (meets with)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि-गम्
• Form: Lat (Present), Parasmaipada, Third, Singular

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• honey (madhu)
• a honey-seeker/collector (mādhvikaḥ)
• a height/precipice (prapāta)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Desire for a tempting reward can cloud judgment: one ignores obvious danger, becomes intoxicated by gain, and thereby invites ruin. Ethical discernment requires seeing consequences, not only sweetness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura is warning through a vivid analogy: like a honey-seeker who climbs without heeding the risk of falling, a person driven by greed pursues profit or pleasure and either gets lost in it or suffers a downfall.