Mahabharata 9.63.57 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 63, Shloka 57

Duryodhana’s Post-Duel Lament and Instructions (भग्नसक्थस्य विलापः)

Devanagari script

हिया च परया5<विष्टो भवन्तं नाधिगच्छति

Transliteration

hriyā ca parayāviṣṭo bhavantaṃ nādhigacchati

Translation

Dan, ditundukkan oleh rasa malu dan segan yang amat sangat, dia tidak mendekati engkau. Baris ini menonjolkan bahawa kekangan moral dan rasa serba salah terhadap diri sendiri boleh menghalang seseorang daripada tampil ke hadapan, walaupun dalam keadaan genting yang menuntut kata atau tindakan.

Word by Word

• हिया: by (his) mind/understanding
• हिया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ही
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

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

• परया: by the highest/supreme (intellect)
• परया: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• आविष्टः: possessed/overcome (by)
• आविष्टः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√विश्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भवन्तम्: you (honorific)
• भवन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

• अधिगच्छति: attains/reaches/understands
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि√गम्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana (speaker)
• bhavantam (honorific 'you'—addressee unspecified in this pāda)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse points to hrī (modest shame) as a powerful ethical emotion: it can restrain wrongdoing and preserve dignity, yet it can also inhibit necessary communication or action when one feels overwhelmed by embarrassment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes someone who, seized by intense shame, does not go near the addressed person ('you'). It functions as a narrative explanation for a character’s hesitation or failure to approach and speak in a tense context.