Shloka 15

Devanagari script

अजातगशशभत्रुस्तु विहाय पाप॑ं जीर्णा त्वचं सर्प इवासमर्थाम्‌ । विरोचतेडहार्यवृत्तेन वीरो युधिष्ठिरस्त्वयि पापं विसृज्य,जैसे सर्प पुरानी केंचुलको, जो शरीरमें ठहर नहीं सकती, उतारकर चमक उठता है, उसी प्रकार अजातशत्रु वीर युधिष्ठिर पापका परित्याग करके और उस पापको आपपर ही छोड़कर अपने स्वाभाविक सदाचारसे सुशोभित हो रहे हैं

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | ajātaśatruḥ tu vihāya pāpaṃ jīrṇāṃ tvacaṃ sarpa ivāsamarthām | virocate dhārya-vṛttena vīro yudhiṣṭhiras tvayi pāpaṃ visṛjya ||

Translation

सञ्जय उवाच—अजातशत्रुर्विहाय पापं जीर्णां त्वचं सर्प इवासमर्थाम्। विरोचते धार्यवृत्तेन वीरो युधिष्ठिरस्त्वयि पापं विसृज्य॥

Word by Word

अजातशत्रुःAjātaśatru (he whose enemies are not born; Yudhiṣṭhira)

तुbut/indeed

विहायhaving abandoned

पापम्sin/evil

जीर्णाम्worn-out/old

त्वचम्skin

सर्पःa snake

इवlike/as

असमर्थाम्unable to remain/unsustainable (for the body)

विरोचतेshines/is resplendent

अहार्यवृत्तेनby conduct that is not to be taken away (innate/unalterable good conduct)

वीरःthe hero

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

त्वयिin/onto you

पापम्sin/evil

विसृज्यhaving cast/left (it)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Yudhiṣṭhira (Ajātaśatru)

serpent

old skin (cast-off slough)

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?

Moral clarity and steadfast right conduct make a person ‘shine’; wrongdoing should be renounced rather than carried forward, and ethical integrity is portrayed as a natural radiance restored when sin is cast off.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Yudhiṣṭhira’s renewed moral brilliance: he has abandoned ‘pāpa’ and, by placing the blame/burden of wrongdoing upon the addressed party (‘tvayi’), stands out in his own upholdable righteous conduct, compared to a serpent shedding an old skin.