Shloka 23

अव्यक्तकालमान-निर्णयः

Measures of Time from the Unmanifest; Creation, Elements, and the Primacy of Mind

Devanagari script

न तथा वक्तुमिच्छन्ति कल्याणान्‌ पुरुषे गुणान्‌ | यथैषां वक्तुमिच्छन्ति नैर्गुण्यमनुयुझजका:

Transliteration

na tathā vaktum icchanti kalyāṇān puruṣe guṇān | yathaiṣāṃ vaktum icchanti nairguṇyam anuyujjakāḥ ||

Translation

ଲୋକେ ଜଣେ ପୁରୁଷର କଲ୍ୟାଣମୟ ଗୁଣଗୁଡ଼ିକୁ କହିବାକୁ ସେତେ ଇଚ୍ଛା କରନ୍ତି ନାହିଁ; ଯେତେ ଇର୍ଷ୍ୟାପ୍ରେରିତ ଦୋଷାନ୍ୱେଷୀମାନେ ତାହାର ନିର୍ଗୁଣ୍ୟ (ଦୋଷ) କହିବାକୁ ଉତ୍ସୁକ ହୁଅନ୍ତି।

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• तथा: thus/in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• वक्तुम्: to speak, to describe
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: tumun (infinitive), parasmaipada (by usage)

• इच्छन्ति: they desire/wish
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष्
• Form: Lat (present indicative), 3rd, plural, parasmaipada

• कल्याणान्: auspicious, good
• कल्याणान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कल्याण
• Form: masculine, accusative, plural

• पुरुषे: in a man/person
• पुरुषे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

• गुणान्: qualities, virtues
• गुणान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण
• Form: masculine, accusative, plural

• यथा: as, in the way that
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• एषाम्: of these (people)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: masculine/neuter (contextual), genitive, plural

• वक्तुम्: to speak, to describe
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: tumun (infinitive), parasmaipada (by usage)

• इच्छन्ति: they desire/wish
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष्
• Form: Lat (present indicative), 3rd, plural, parasmaipada

• नैर्गुण्यम्: faultiness, lack of good qualities
• नैर्गुण्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैर्गुण्य
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• अनुयुजकाः: fault-finders, detractors (those who pursue/press after faults)
• अनुयुजकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुयुजक
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

हंस उवाच

Characters & Entities

• हंस (Haṃsa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Envy and fault-finding distort perception: people readily publicize others’ defects but hesitate to acknowledge their virtues. The verse urges ethical restraint in speech and a deliberate commitment to recognize and speak truthfully about goodness.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Haṃsa speaks as a moral instructor, commenting on common human tendencies in social judgment—how detractors prefer to highlight demerits rather than praise noble qualities.