Shloka 186

धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति व्यवहार-रक्षा-नियमनोपदेशः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Instruction on Administration, Punishment, and Daily Governance

Devanagari script

इति मे वर्तते बुद्धिर्मा नो निन्दन्तु शत्रव: | 'पुरुषसिंह! मेरा यही विचार है कि कुरुवंशी राजा धृतराष्ट्र उक्त महानुभावोंका श्राद्ध न करें। इसके लिये हमारे शत्रु हमारी निन्‍्दा न करें

Transliteration

iti me vartate buddhir mā no nindantu śatravaḥ |

Translation

ਵੈਸ਼ੰਪਾਯਨ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ— “ਇਹੀ ਮੇਰਾ ਪੱਕਾ ਵਿਚਾਰ ਹੈ— ਸਾਡੇ ਵੈਰੀ ਸਾਡੀ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਨਾ ਕਰਨ। ਇਸ ਲਈ ਐਸਾ ਹੀ ਆਚਰਨ ਨਿਸ਼ਚਿਤ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਵੇ ਕਿ ਵਿਰੋਧੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਦੋਸ਼ ਲਾਉਣ ਦਾ ਮੌਕਾ ਨਾ ਮਿਲੇ।”

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• मे: of me / my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Gender: —, Case: Genitive, Number: Singular

• वर्तते: exists / prevails / is
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (वर्तते)
• Form: Tense: Present, Person: 3rd, Number: Singular, Pada: Ātmanepada

• बुद्धिः: thought / intention
• बुद्धिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि
• Form: Gender: Feminine, Case: Nominative, Number: Singular

• मा: do not / lest
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा
• Form: Prohibitive particle (used with optative/imperative sense)

• नः: us
• नः: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Gender: —, Case: Accusative, Number: Plural

• निन्दन्तु: let (them) blame / may (they) censure
• Type: Verb
• Root: निन्द्
• Form: Tense/Mood: Imperative, Person: 3rd, Number: Plural, Pada: Parasmaipada

• शत्रवः: enemies
• शत्रवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत्रु
• Form: Gender: Masculine, Case: Nominative, Number: Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• śatravaḥ (enemies)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ethical decisions should be guided not only by private preference but by dharmic propriety that can withstand public scrutiny; one should act so that even adversaries cannot justly accuse one of wrongdoing.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports a speaker’s settled opinion and caution: the proposed course of action should avoid giving enemies grounds for criticism, emphasizing honor and moral legitimacy in a sensitive situation.