Shloka 25

Skanda–Mātṛgaṇa-janma: Kumārakāḥ, Kanyāgaṇāḥ, and the Vīrāṣṭaka (स्कन्द-मातृगण-सम्भवः)

Devanagari script

यं विषादो$भिभवति विक्रमे समुपस्थिते । तेजसा तस्य हीनस्य पुरुषार्थो न विद्यते,पराक्रमका अवसर उपस्थित होनेपर जिसे विषाद घेर लेता है, उस तेजोहीन पुरुषका कोई पुरुषार्थ सिद्ध नहीं होता

Transliteration

yaṁ viṣādo'bhibhavati vikrame samupasthite | tejasā tasya hīnasya puruṣārtho na vidyate ||

Translation

Pemburu itu berkata: “Apabila saat untuk keberanian dan usaha yang tegas telah tiba, jika seseorang dikuasai kemurungan, maka—kerana hilang nyala batin—tiada satu pun ikhtiarnya sebagai manusia dapat benar-benar berjaya.”

Word by Word

यम्whom

विषादःdespondency, dejection

अभिभवतिovercomes, overpowers

विक्रमेin valor/effort

समुपस्थितेwhen (it is) present/arrived

तेजसाby vigor/splendor

तस्यof him

हीनस्यdevoid (of), lacking

पुरुषार्थःhuman effort, enterprise

नnot

विद्यतेexists, is found

Speaker

व्याध उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyadha (the hunter)

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?

Despondency at the very moment action is required destroys tejas (inner vigor), and without that energy purposeful human effort (puruṣārtha) cannot bear results. The verse urges steadiness and courage as ethical prerequisites for effective action.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Vyādha’s instruction (a dharma-teaching dialogue in the Vana Parva), he admonishes the listener that yielding to viṣāda when a critical opportunity for decisive effort arises makes one incapable of accomplishing any meaningful undertaking.