Shloka 13

जनकस्य युद्धोपदेशः — Janaka’s Instruction on Steadfast Battle-Conduct

Devanagari script

राजर्षि जनक अपने सैनिकोंको स्वर्ग और नरककी बात कह रहे हैं पुनरावर्तमानानां निराशानां च जीविते । वेग: सुदुःसहो राजंस्तस्मान्नात्यनुसारयेत्‌

Transliteration

punarāvartanānāṃ nirāśānāṃ ca jīvite | vegaḥ suduḥsaho rājan tasmān nātyanusārayet ||

Translation

Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja, bagi mereka yang terus kembali ke lingkaran bahaya, dan bagi mereka yang telah putus harapan bahkan terhadap hidup, lonjakan keputusasaan menjadi hampir tidak tertanggung. Oleh itu, wahai pemerintah, janganlah menekan mereka terlalu keras atau memaksa mereka melampaui batas.”

Word by Word

पुनःagain

आवर्तमानानाम्of those who return (again and again)

निराशानाम्of the hopeless/despairing

चand

जीवितेin life

वेगःimpulse/force (of emotion)

सुदुःसहःvery hard to bear

राजन्O king

तस्मात्therefore/from that reason

नnot

अतिexcessively/too much

अनुसारयेत्one should follow/indulge (it)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

rājan (the king addressed, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira in the Śānti context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should recognize that people driven by repeated hardship and loss of hope can act with uncontrollable force; therefore governance must avoid excessive pressure and instead apply restraint and humane judgment.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma and kingship in the Śānti Parva, he warns the king about the dangerous momentum of desperation and counsels against pushing distressed people beyond endurance.