Mahabharata 4.4.29 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 4, Shloka 29

Dhaumya’s Counsel on Incognito Conduct in a Royal Household (राजवसतौ आचरण-निति)

Devanagari script

नित्यं हि प्रतिषिद्ध तु पुरस्तादासनं महत्‌ | न च संदर्शने किज्चित्‌ प्रवृत्तमपि संजयेत्‌

Transliteration

nityaṁ hi pratiṣiddhaṁ tu purastād āsanaṁ mahat | na ca sandarśane kiñcit pravṛttam api sañjayet ||

Translation

Dhaumya berkata: “Di hadapan raja, penggunaan tempat duduk yang tinggi sentiasa dilarang. Dan jika di depan mata baginda sedang berlangsung pembahagian—seperti ganjaran atau upah—janganlah seseorang menerpa untuk mengambil sesuatu atas inisiatif sendiri tanpa dipanggil.”

Word by Word

• {'nityam': 'always, at all times', 'hi': 'indeed, for', 'pratiṣiddham': 'forbidden, prohibited', 'tu': 'but, indeed (emphatic)', 'purastāt': 'in front, in the presence (of someone)', 'āsanam': 'seat, sitting place', 'mahat': 'great, high, lofty', 'na ca': 'and not

• nor', 'sandarśane': 'in (someone’s) sight

• in the presence/at the viewing', 'kiñcit': 'anything

• any matter', 'pravṛttam': 'set in motion

• being carried out', 'api': 'even, although', 'sañjayet': 'should urge on/press forward

Speaker

धौग्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhaumya
• king (rājā, implied by context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Maintain humility and proper decorum before authority: do not assume elevated status in the king’s presence, and do not claim gifts or payments uninvited; wait to be called.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhaumya lays down rules of conduct for behavior at court—how one should sit and how one should act when rewards or wages are being distributed in the king’s presence.