Shloka 21

Sandhi–Vigraha in Āpada: The Mouse and the Cat (सन्धिविग्रहापदि—मूषकमार्जारसंवादः)

Devanagari script

ये च राष्ट्रोपरोधेन वृद्धि कुर्वन्ति केचन । तदैव ते<नुमार्यन्ते कुणपे कृमयो यथा,जो लोग राष्ट्रको हानि पहुँचाकर अपनी उजन्नतिके लिये प्रयत्न करते हैं, वे मुर्दोंमें पड़े हुए कीड़ोंके समान उसी क्षण नष्ट हो जाते हैं

Transliteration

ye ca rāṣṭroparodhenā vṛddhiṃ kurvanti kecana | tadaiva te 'numāryante kuṇape kṛmayo yathā ||

Translation

Те, кто ищет собственного возвышения, препятствуя царству и причиняя ему вред, гибнут тотчас же — как черви, что погибают в трупе.

Word by Word

येwho (those who)

चand

राष्ट्रोपरोधेनby obstructing/impairing the kingdom (state)

वृद्धिम्growth, prosperity

कुर्वन्तिdo, make

केचनsome (people)

तदाthen, at that time

एवindeed, just

तेthey

अनुमार्यन्तेare made to die / are destroyed

कुणपेin a carcass

कृमयःworms

यथाas, like

Speaker

कायव्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

rāṣṭra (the kingdom/state)

kuṇapa (corpse/carcass)

kṛmi (worms/maggots)

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Personal gain achieved by damaging the kingdom (the public order and welfare) is adharma; it is unstable and leads to swift ruin, like worms that cannot survive apart from decay.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on conduct and governance, the speaker warns against opportunists who obstruct the realm for their own rise, using a stark simile (worms in a corpse) to stress the immediacy and inevitability of their downfall.