Shloka 98

Devanagari script

युधिछ्िर उवाच धर्मज्ञ: पण्डितो ज्ञेयो नास्तिको मूर्ख उच्यते । काम: संसारहेतुश्न हृत्तापो मत्सर: स्मृत:,युधिष्ठिर बोले--धर्मज्ञको पण्डित समझना चाहिये, मूर्ख नास्तिक कहलाता है और नास्तिक मूर्ख है तथा जो जन्म-मरणरूप संसारका कारण है, वह वासना काम है और हृदयकी जलन ही मत्सर है

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | dharmajñaḥ paṇḍito jñeyo nāstiko mūrkha ucyate | kāmaḥ saṃsāra-hetuś ca hṛt-tāpo matsaraḥ smṛtaḥ ||

Translation

ਯੁਧਿਸ਼ਠਿਰ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ—ਧਰਮ ਨੂੰ ਜਾਣਨ ਵਾਲਾ ਹੀ ਪੰਡਿਤ ਜਾਣਿਆ ਜਾਵੇ; ਨਾਸਤਿਕ ਨੂੰ ਮੂਰਖ ਕਿਹਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਕਾਮ ਹੀ ਜਨਮ-ਮਰਨ ਵਾਲੇ ਸੰਸਾਰ ਦਾ ਕਾਰਨ ਹੈ, ਅਤੇ ਹਿਰਦੇ ਦੀ ਸੜਨ ਨੂੰ ਮਤਸਰ (ਹਸਦ/ਈਰਖਾ) ਕਿਹਾ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

उवाचsaid

धर्मज्ञःknower of dharma

पण्डितःa learned man

ज्ञेयःis to be known/recognized (as)

नास्तिकःan unbeliever/atheist

मूर्खःa fool

उच्यतेis called

कामःdesire

संसारहेतुःcause of transmigration

हृत्तापःburning/torment of the heart

मत्सरःenvy

स्मृतःis remembered/considered (as)

Speaker

युधिछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True learning is measured by understanding dharma; disbelief that rejects moral-spiritual authority is treated as folly. Desire binds one to saṃsāra, and envy is characterized as an inner burning that corrodes the heart.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a didactic exchange in the Vana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates moral definitions—who should be considered wise, what keeps beings trapped in worldly existence, and how envy is experienced internally.