Shloka 21

अज्ञान–लोभयोः परस्परहेतुत्वम्

Mutual Causality of Ignorance and Greed

Devanagari script

हिमाग्निघोरसद्शो राजा भवति कश्चन | लांगलाशनिकल्पो वा भवेदन्य: परंतप

Transliteration

himāgni-ghora-sadṛśo rājā bhavati kaścana | lāṅgalāśani-kalpo vā bhaved anyaḥ parantapa ||

Translation

ਪਰੰਤਪ! ਰਾਜਿਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਕੋਈ ਹਿਮ ਵਾਂਗ ਠੰਢਾ ਤੇ ਸੁਖਦਾਇਕ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਕੋਈ ਅੱਗ ਵਾਂਗ ਤਪਾਉਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਕੋਈ ਯਮਰਾਜ ਵਾਂਗ ਭਿਆਨਕ ਦਿੱਸਦਾ ਹੈ; ਅਤੇ ਕੋਈ ਹਲ ਜਾਂ ਵਜ੍ਰ ਵਾਂਗ ਦੁਸ਼ਟਤਾ ਨੂੰ ਜੜ੍ਹੋਂ ਉਖਾੜ ਕੇ ਪਾਪਾਚਾਰੀਆਂ ਉੱਤੇ ਅਚਾਨਕ ਪ੍ਰਹਾਰ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• हिमाग्निघोरसदृशः: resembling snow, fire, and the terrible (one)
• हिमाग्निघोरसदृशः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिम + अग्नि + घोर + सदृश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भवति: becomes / is
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• कश्चन: some (one)
• कश्चन: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: कश्चन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• लाङ्गलाशनिकल्पः: like a plough (or) like a thunderbolt
• लाङ्गलाशनिकल्पः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लाङ्गल + अशनि + कल्प
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• भवेत्: may be / would be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Optative, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अन्यः: another
• अन्यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परंतप: O scorcher of foes (epithet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परंतप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śaunaka
• rājā (king)
• hima (snow)
• agni (fire)
• Yama (implied by 'Death' imagery in the sense of fearsome punishment)
• lāṅgala (plough)
• aśani (thunderbolt)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Rulership expresses itself in different temperaments—gentle restraint, fiery severity, fear-inducing authority, or sudden decisive punishment—but the ethical point is that a king’s power is meant to protect order by restraining and uprooting adharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śaunaka characterizes various kinds of kings through vivid similes (snow, fire, Death, plough, thunderbolt), setting up a discussion on how rulers administer discipline and maintain social order.