Shloka 8

Saṃsāra-gahana-jñāna: Vidura’s Account of Embodiment, Bondage, and Dharmic Release (संसारगहन-ज्ञानम्)

Devanagari script

त॑ बद्धमिन्द्रियै: पाशै: संगस्वादुभिरावृतम्‌ । व्यसनान्यपि वर्तन्ते विविधानि नराधिप

Transliteration

ta baddham indriyaiḥ pāśaiḥ saṅgasvādubhir āvṛtam | vyasanāny api vartante vividhāni narādhipa

Translation

ହେ ନରାଧିପ! ଯେ ମନୁଷ୍ୟ ଇନ୍ଦ୍ରିୟର ପାଶରେ ବନ୍ଧା ଓ ଆସକ୍ତିର ମଧୁର ସ୍ୱାଦରେ ଆବୃତ, ତାକୁ ବିଭିନ୍ନ ପ୍ରକାରର ବ୍ୟସନ ଓ ବିପଦ ଘେରି ଧରେ।

Word by Word

तत्that (one/thing)

बद्धम्bound, fettered

इन्द्रियैःby the senses

पाशैःwith nooses/bonds

सङ्गस्वादुभिःwith sweet attachments (i.e., attachment that is sweet)

आवृतम्covered, enveloped

व्यसनानिcalamities/misfortunes/vices

अपिalso, even

वर्तन्तेoccur, take place, arise

विविधानिvarious, manifold

नराधिपO king (lord of men)

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

narādhipa (the king addressed)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sense-pleasures and attachment act like snares: once the mind is bound by them, diverse misfortunes and vices arise. The ethical counsel is restraint (indriya-nigraha) and vigilance against seductive attachments.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura addresses a king, offering moral-political counsel. He explains how rulers (and people generally) fall into trouble when they become enslaved by sensory cravings and the sweetness of attachment.