Shloka 6

Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma

Devanagari script

निर्मन्युश्नाप्पसंख्येय: पुरुष: क्लीबसाधन: । यावज्जीवं निराशोडसि कल्याणाय धुरं वह,तू सर्वथा क्रोधशून्य है, क्षत्रियोंमें गणना करनेयोग्य नहीं है। तू नाममात्रका पुरुष है। तेरे मन आदि सभी साधन नपुंसकोंके समान हैं। क्या तू जीवनभरके लिये निराश हो गया? अरे! अब भी तो उठ और अपने कल्याणके लिये पुनः युद्धका भार वहन कर

Transliteration

nirmanyuḥ śnāpasaṅkhyeyaḥ puruṣaḥ klībasādhanaḥ | yāvajjīvaṃ nirāśo ’si kalyāṇāya dhuraṃ vaha | tvaṃ sarvathā krodhaśūnyaḥ kṣatriyeṣu gaṇanāyogyo ’si | tvaṃ nāmamātrakaḥ puruṣaḥ | tava mana-ādīni sarvasādhānāni napuṃsakānām iva | kiṃ tvaṃ jīvanabharaṃ nirāśo ’bhavaḥ | are ’dya api uttiṣṭha, svakalyāṇāya punaḥ yuddhabhāraṃ vaha ||

Translation

Vāyu disse: “Estás sem a ira justa; nem sequer és digno de ser contado entre os kṣatriya. És homem apenas de nome—tua mente e todas as tuas faculdades são como as de um impotente. Tornaste-te sem esperança para toda a vida? Ainda agora, ergue-te e, para teu próprio bem, toma de novo sobre ti o fardo da batalha.”

Word by Word

• {'nirmanyuḥ': 'without (proper) anger or martial spirit

• free from indignation', 'puruṣaḥ': 'man

• person', 'nāmamātrakaḥ': 'only in name

• nominal', 'krodhaśūnyaḥ': 'devoid of anger (here: of kṣatriya-appropriate wrath/energy)', 'kṣatriyeṣu gaṇanāyogyaḥ': 'unfit to be counted among the kṣatriyas', 'klība': 'impotent

• unmanly (a harsh insult in heroic context)', 'sādhana': 'means, faculty, instrument (mind, senses, resolve, etc.)', 'manaḥ-ādīni': 'mind and the rest (of inner instruments/faculties)', 'nirāśaḥ': 'hopeless

• without expectation', 'yāvajjīvam': 'as long as one lives

• for life', 'kalyāṇāya': 'for welfare, good, auspicious outcome', 'dhuram': 'burden, yoke, responsibility', 'vaha': 'bear, carry (imperative)', 'uttiṣṭha': 'rise up! (imperative)', 'yuddhabhāraḥ': 'the burden/weight of war

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (Wind-god)
• kṣatriyas (warrior class)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse urges a warrior to abandon hopelessness and reclaim kṣatriya-duty: inner strength, righteous indignation against adharma, and readiness to bear responsibility (the ‘burden’ of battle) are portrayed as essential for one’s welfare and honor.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva addresses a dejected warrior with sharp reproach, calling him ‘a man only in name’ and unfit among kṣatriyas, and commands him to rise and resume the duty of fighting for his own good.