Mahabharata 4.28.5 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 28, Shloka 5

कृपवाक्यं तथा नीत्युपदेशः

Kṛpa’s Counsel and a Discourse on Statecraft

Devanagari script

सर्वलक्षणसम्पन्ना: साधुव्रतसमन्विता: । श्रुतव्रतोपपन्नाश्न नानाश्रुतिसमन्विता:

Transliteration

sarvalakṣaṇasampannāḥ sādhuvratasamanvitāḥ | śrutavratopapannāś ca nānāśrutisamanvitāḥ ||

Translation

ਪਾਂਡਵ ਸਭ ਸ਼ੁਭ ਲੱਛਣਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਸੰਪੰਨ ਹਨ। ਉਹ ਸੱਜਣਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਯੋਗ ਨਿਯਮ-ਵ੍ਰਤਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਰਤ, ਸ਼੍ਰੁਤੀ-ਸੰਮਤ ਵ੍ਰਤਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਥਿਰ ਅਤੇ ਨਾਨਾ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਰ ਦੀਆਂ ਸ਼੍ਰੁਤੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਗਿਆਤਾ ਹਨ।

Word by Word

• सर्वलक्षणसम्पन्नाः: endowed with all auspicious marks
• सर्वलक्षणसम्पन्नाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-लक्षण-सम्पन्न
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• साधुव्रतसमन्विताः: possessed of righteous vows/observances
• साधुव्रतसमन्विताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साधु-व्रत-समन्वित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• श्रुतव्रतोपपन्नाः: conforming to/established in Veda-taught vows
• श्रुतव्रतोपपन्नाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रुत-व्रत-उपपन्न
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नानाश्रुतिसमन्विताः: endowed with knowledge of various śrutis/traditions
• नानाश्रुतिसमन्विताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना-श्रुति-समन्वित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pāṇḍavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True nobility is shown through disciplined observance of dharma: the Pāṇḍavas are praised not for power but for auspicious character, scripturally grounded vows, and steadfast self-restraint—especially in keeping their difficult commitment of concealment.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśampāyana describes the Pāṇḍavas’ virtues during their time of living incognito (agnātavāsa), emphasizing their adherence to righteous vows and their knowledge of sacred tradition as they carefully keep the required term of concealment.