Shloka 12

Night Vigil and Kṛṣṇa’s Instructions to Dāruka (निशि प्रजागरः—दारुकानुशासनम्)

Devanagari script

पुत्रात्‌ पुण्यतरस्तुभ्यं मा पुत्रमनुतप्यथा: । अयज्वानमदाक्षिण्यमश्रि श्वैत्येत्युदाहरत्‌,राजाने नित्य, नैमित्तिक तथा काम्य यज्ञोंके निरन्तर अनुष्ठानसे मनोवांछित गति प्राप्त कर ली। श्वैत्य सूंजय! वे भी तुमसे धर्म, ज्ञान, वैराग्य और ऐश्वर्य--इन चारों कल्याणकारी विषयोंमें बहुत बढ़े-चढ़े थे। तुम्हारे पुत्रसे भी वे अधिक पुण्यात्मा थे। जब वे भी मर गये, तब तुम्हें अपने पुत्रके लिये अनुताप नहीं करना चाहिये; क्योंकि तुम्हारे पुत्रने न तो कोई यज्ञ किया था और न उसमें दाक्षिण्य (उदारताका गुण) ही था। नारदजीने राजा सूंजयसे यही बात कही

Transliteration

putrāt puṇyataras tubhyaṃ mā putram anutapyathāḥ | ayajvān amadākṣiṇyam aśriśvaitīty udāharat ||

Translation

नारद उवाच—पुत्रेण मा शोकं कृथाः। अत्राश्रिश्वैत्य इति ख्यातो जनोऽभूत्, स तवापि पुण्यतरोऽभवत्। स चापि मृतः; तथापि त्वं स्वपुत्रं प्रति नानुतप्यितुमर्हसि—यतो हि तव पुत्रो न यज्ञान् अयजत, न च दाक्षिण्यगुणसम्पन्नोऽभवत्। अतस्ते शोकः प्रशाम्यतु।

Word by Word

पुत्रात्from (your) son / than (your) son

पुण्यतरःmore meritorious

तुbut

तुभ्यम्to you

माdo not

पुत्रम्(your) son

अनुतप्यथाःyou should grieve / repent

अयज्वानम्one who has not sacrificed (non-sacrificer)

अदाक्षिण्यम्lack of generosity / lack of dakṣiṇā

अश्रिAśri (proper name) / (uncertain reading)

श्वैत्यःŚvaitya (proper name)

इतिthus

उदाहरत्he cited / he said

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Sūñjaya (as addressed in the prose context)

Aśriśvaiti

son (of Sūñjaya, unnamed here)

yajña (sacrifice)

dakṣiṇā (ritual gift/generosity)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Nārada teaches restraint in grief by placing personal loss within a moral frame: lamentation is unhelpful, and one should measure a life by dharmic conduct—especially sacrificial duty and generosity (dakṣiṇā/dāna). The verse uses comparison to redirect sorrow toward ethical reflection.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada addresses King Sūñjaya, advising him not to mourn his son. He cites Aśriśvaiti as an example of someone even more meritorious who also died, and argues that Sūñjaya’s son is not a fit object of excessive lament because he lacked yajña-performance and the liberality of giving.