Shloka 35

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana

Keśava-vākya aftermath

Devanagari script

पृथक्‌ च विनिविष्टानां धर्म धीरो<नुरुध्यते । मध्यमो<र्थ कलिं बाल: काममेवानुरुध्यते

Transliteration

pṛthak ca viniviṣṭānāṃ dharma dhīro'nurudhyate | madhyamo'rtha-kaliṃ bālaḥ kāmam evānurudhyate ||

Translation

ਜਦੋਂ ਧਰਮ, ਅਰਥ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਮ ਵੱਖ-ਵੱਖ ਖੜ੍ਹੇ ਹੋਣ ਅਤੇ ਇੱਕ ਨੂੰ ਚੁਣਨਾ ਪਵੇ, ਤਾਂ ਧੀਰ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਧਰਮ ਦਾ ਹੀ ਪਾਲਣ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ। ਮੱਧਮ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਅਰਥ ਨੂੰ ਅਪਣਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ—ਜੋ ਅਕਸਰ ਝਗੜੇ ਦਾ ਬੀਜ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ; ਪਰ ਅਜਾਣ ਤੇ ਅਧਮ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਕੇਵਲ ਕਾਮ ਦੇ ਪਿੱਛੇ ਦੌੜਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• {'pṛthak': 'separately, apart', 'viniviṣṭānām': 'of those that are set/placed (distinctly)

• here, of the aims set apart', 'dharma': 'righteous duty

• right conduct', 'dhīraḥ': 'steadfast, wise, self-possessed person', 'anurudhyate': 'follows, adheres to, aligns oneself with', 'madhyamaḥ': 'middling, of intermediate grade', 'arthaḥ': 'wealth, power, advantage

• material interest', 'kaliḥ / kaliṃ': 'strife, quarrel, discord (also the age/personification of Kali)

• here: conflict-causing principle', 'bālaḥ': 'childish, ignorant, foolish person', 'kāmaḥ': 'desire, pleasure, sensual enjoyment', 'eva': 'only, indeed (emphatic)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• dharma
• artha
• kāma
• kali (as strife)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A person’s character is revealed by what they choose when the aims of life diverge: the wise prioritize dharma, the average prioritize artha (which can breed rivalry), and the ignorant chase kāma alone.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a reflective maxim is stated to frame ethical decision-making in the tense pre-war context of the Udyoga Parva, where competing interests and desires threaten to override righteousness.