Shloka 19

Devanagari script

दुर्विज्ञेया गतिर्नूनं कार्याणां कारणान्तरे । यद्‌ वै लोकगुरुर्भूत्वा भवानेतां दशां गत:,“किस कारणसे कौन-सा कार्य होगा, इसको समझ लेना निश्चय ही बहुत कठिन है; क्योंकि सम्पूर्ण जगत्‌के आदरणीय नरेश होकर भी आज तुम इस दशाको पहुँच गये

Transliteration

durvijñeyā gatir nūnaṁ kāryāṇāṁ kāraṇāntare | yad vai lokagurur bhūtvā bhavān etāṁ daśāṁ gataḥ |

Translation

Санджая сказал: «Воистину, ход событий — как одна причина рождает тот или иной исход — чрезвычайно трудно распознать. Ибо даже ты, бывший почитаемым наставником и первейшим царём для всего мира, ныне доведён до такого состояния.»

Word by Word

दुर्विज्ञेयाhard to be known/understood

गतिःcourse/way/outcome

नूनम्surely/indeed

कार्याणाम्of actions/undertakings

कारणान्तरेin/under another cause; due to a different cause

यत्that/which (introducing the reason)

वैindeed/emphatically

लोकगुरुःteacher/guide of the world

भूत्वाhaving become

भवान्you (honorific)

एताम्this (f.)

दशाम्state/condition

गतःgone/reached

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

bhavān (addressed person, implied Dhṛtarāṣṭra in context)

lokaguru (epithet: revered king/guide of the world)

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?

The verse underscores the moral and philosophical difficulty of tracing clear, predictable links between causes and outcomes in human affairs. It cautions against overconfidence in power or status, reminding that even the most revered ruler can fall into misfortune when the complex web of causes unfolds—often shaped by ethical choices and their consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, reporting the events of the war to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, reflects on the tragic turn of circumstances. He points out that despite Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s former stature as a universally respected king, he has now reached a grievous state—implying the devastating outcomes of the Kurukṣetra conflict and the hard-to-grasp workings of causation behind it.