Shloka 15

Dvārakā’s Distress and the Saubha Engagement (द्वारकाव्यग्रता तथा सौभयुद्धम्)

Devanagari script

इत्यहं तस्य वचन श्रुत्वा परमदुर्मना: । निशक्ष॒यं नाधिगच्छामि कर्तव्यस्येतरस्य च,दूतका यह वचन सुनकर मेरा मन उदास हो गया। मैं कर्तव्य और अकर्तव्यके विषयमें कोई निश्चय नहीं कर पाता था

Transliteration

ity ahaṁ tasya vacanaṁ śrutvā paramadurmanāḥ | niścayaṁ nādhigacchāmi kartavyasyetarasya ca ||

Translation

Ao ouvir suas palavras, fiquei profundamente abatido. Não consegui chegar a uma decisão firme sobre o que devia ser feito e o que não devia—meu juízo acerca do dever e do seu oposto ficou em dúvida.

Word by Word

इतिthus

अहम्I

तस्यof him/that

वचनम्speech, words

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

परमदुर्मनाःvery dejected

निःशक्षयम्decisively, with certainty

नnot

अधिगच्छामिI understand/arrive at

कर्तव्यस्यof what ought to be done (duty)

इतरस्यof the other (i.e., the opposite)

चand

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva (speaker)

an unnamed 'he' (tasya)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a powerful being can be shaken by counsel and circumstance; when the mind is clouded by sorrow, one may lose clarity about kartavya (duty) versus akartavya (what should not be done). The verse highlights the need for steadiness and discernment in ethical decision-making.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva reports his reaction after hearing another person’s statement: he becomes deeply dejected and admits he cannot determine with certainty the proper course of action versus its opposite.