Shloka 12

आदि पर्व — जातुगृह-प्रसङ्गः: विदुरप्रेषित-खनकस्य सूचना तथा पलायन-मार्ग-निर्माणम्

Adi Parva 135: The Miner’s Warning and Construction of the Escape Passage

Devanagari script

एषो<अस्त्रविदुषां श्रेष्ठ एब धर्मभूृतां वर: । एष शीलवतां चापि शीलज्ञाननिधि: पर:

Transliteration

eṣo 'straviduṣāṃ śreṣṭha eṣa dharmabhṛtāṃ varaḥ | eṣa śīlavatāṃ cāpi śīlajñānanidhiḥ paraḥ ||

Translation

ਇਹ ਅਸਤ੍ਰ-ਵਿਦਿਆ ਦੇ ਵਿਦਵਾਨਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਸ਼੍ਰੇਸ਼ਠ ਹੈ; ਇਹ ਧਰਮ ਧਾਰਨ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਉੱਤਮ ਹੈ। ਅਤੇ ਸ਼ੀਲਵਾਨਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੀ ਇਹ ਸਰਵੋਤਮ—ਸ਼ੀਲ ਤੇ ਗਿਆਨ ਦਾ ਪਰਮ ਖ਼ਜ਼ਾਨਾ ਹੈ॥

Word by Word

एषःthis (man)

अस्त्रविदुषाम्of the knowers of weapons

श्रेष्ठःthe best

एषःthis (man)

धर्मभृताम्of the upholders of dharma

वरःthe foremost/excellent one

एषःthis (man)

शीलवताम्of the virtuous/characterful

चand

अपिalso/even

शीलज्ञाननिधिःa treasure of conduct and knowledge

परःsupreme/peerless

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True excellence is presented as multidimensional: mastery of arms is praised, but it is explicitly paired with dharma (moral responsibility) and śīla (good conduct). The ideal person is not merely powerful, but a repository of wisdom and character.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is describing and extolling a particular individual (not named in this verse) by listing superlative qualities—martial expertise, steadfastness in dharma, and exemplary conduct—framing him as an ethical ideal within the story.