Shloka 173

Devanagari script

स्वादनीयानि भूतानां यैर्बालो विप्रकृष्यते । भरतश्रेष्ठ) समस्त प्राणियोंको स्वादिष्ट प्रतीत होनेवाले उस मधुको, जिसपर बालक आदृष्ट हो जाते हैं, वे मक्खियाँ बारंबार पीना चाहती थीं

Transliteration

svādanīyāni bhūtānāṃ yair bālo viprakṛṣyate |

Translation

Vidura memerhati bahawa ada kenikmatan tertentu yang tampak manis bagi makhluk hidup dan menarik minda yang belum matang hingga tersasar daripada pertimbangan. Dari segi etika, beliau mengingatkan bahawa apa yang terasa lazat boleh menjadi umpan yang mengalihkan daya budi dan kawalan diri, lalu menumbuhkan keterikatan berulang-ulang serta membawa mudarat.

Word by Word

स्वादनीयानिtasty, to-be-tasted (pleasant to taste)

भूतानाम्of beings/creatures

यैःby which/with which

बालःa child

विप्रकृष्यतेis drawn/attracted (is pulled toward)

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

bāla (the immature/child)

bhūta (living beings)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Pleasures that seem sweet can entice the immature mind and pull it away from discrimination; therefore one should cultivate restraint and clear judgment rather than repeatedly chasing what merely tastes good.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura is offering reflective counsel, using a general observation about how ‘sweet’ objects attract beings—especially the immature—to illustrate the danger of being lured by sensory allurements.