Shloka 11

Aśmagīta: Janaka’s Inquiry on Loss, Kāla, and the Limits of Control (अश्मगीता)

Devanagari script

तेषां परमदु:खानां बुद्धा भैषज्यमाचरेत्‌ । सर्वप्राणभृतां वृत्तं प्रेक्षमाणस्ततस्तत:

Transliteration

teṣāṃ paramaduḥkhānāṃ buddhā bhaiṣajyam ācaret | sarvaprāṇabhṛtāṃ vṛttaṃ prekṣamāṇas tatas tataḥ ||

Translation

ସେହି ପରମ ଦୁଃଖମାନଙ୍କର ନିବାରଣ ପାଇଁ ଜ୍ଞାନୀ ଲୋକ ବୁଦ୍ଧିକୁ ଔଷଧ କରି ଉପାୟ କରୁ। ସମସ୍ତ ପ୍ରାଣୀଙ୍କ ଆଚରଣକୁ ଏଠି-ସେଠି ନିରୀକ୍ଷଣ କରି, ସେମାନଙ୍କ ଦୁଃଖଦ ବ୍ୟବହାରରୁ ସେମାନଙ୍କ ଉପରେ କ’ଣ କ’ଣ ଘଟେ ତାହା ଦେଖି, ମନୁଷ୍ୟ ବିବେକକୁ ଔଷଧ କରି କୁମାର୍ଗକୁ ଯିବାରୁ ନିଜକୁ ରୋକୁ।

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of those
• तेषाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Plural

• परम-दुःखानाम्: of the greatest sorrows
• परम-दुःखानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• बुद्धः: wise, awakened
• बुद्धः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बुद्ध (बुध्-क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भैषज्यम्: remedy, medicine
• भैषज्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैषज्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आचरेत्: should practice/undertake
• आचरेत्: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-चर्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular

• सर्व-प्राण-भृताम्: of all living beings
• सर्व-प्राण-भृताम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणभृत्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• वृत्तम्: conduct, behavior
• वृत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्त
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्रेक्षमाणः: observing, looking at
• प्रेक्षमाणः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-ईक्ष् (शतृ)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ततः: therefrom, then
• ततः: Apadana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• ततः: again/then (repeated: here and there)
• ततः: Apadana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

Speaker

जनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janaka

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Discernment (buddhi) is presented as a therapeutic remedy: by carefully observing how harmful conduct leads to suffering for living beings, one should restrain oneself from wrong courses and thereby prevent great misery.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instructional setting, King Janaka speaks as a moral teacher, advising a reflective practice: look at real-life examples of suffering caused by misguided behavior and use that insight to correct one’s own path.