Shloka 47

Devanagari script

भ्रूणहा गुरुतल्पी च यश्न स्यात्‌ पानपो द्विज: । अतितीक्षणश्न॒ काकश्न नास्तिको वेदनिन्दक:,घरमें आग लगानेवाला, विष देनेवाला, जारज संतानकी कमाई खानेवाला, सोमरस बेचनेवाला, शस्त्र बनानेवाला, चुगली करनेवाला, मित्रद्रोही, परस्त्रीलम्पट, गर्भकी हत्या करनेवाला, गुरुस्त्रीगामी, ब्राह्मण होकर शराब पीनेवाला, अधिक तीखे स्वभाववाला, कौएकी तरह कार्ये-कार्यँ करनेवाला, नास्तिक, वेदकी निन्दा करनेवाला, ग्रामपुरोहित, व्रात्य-, क्रूर तथा शक्तिमान्‌ होते हुए भी “मेरी रक्षा करो", इस प्रकार कहनेवाले शरणागतका जो वध करता है--ये सब-के-सब ब्रह्म-हत्यारोंके समान हैं

Transliteration

bhrūṇahā gurutalpī ca yaśna syāt pānapo dvijaḥ | atitīkṣṇaś ca kākaś ca nāstiko vedanindakaḥ ||

Translation

भ्रूणहा गुरुतल्पी च यश्च स्यात् पानपो द्विजः । अतितीक्ष्णश्च काकश्च नास्तिको वेदनिन्दकः ॥

Word by Word

भ्रूणहाkiller of an embryo (foetus-slayer)

गुरुतल्पीone who violates the guru’s bed (seducer of teacher’s wife)

चand

यःwho

स्यात्would be / may be

पानपःseller of soma/drink (liquor-dealer)

द्विजःa twice-born (Brahmin etc.)

अतितीक्ष्णःexcessively harsh / very sharp-tempered

शठःrogue, deceitful person

काकशठःcrow-like rogue (one who acts like a crow)

नास्तिकःatheist / unbeliever

वेदनिन्दकःreviler of the Veda

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

Veda

guru (teacher)

guru’s wife (implied by gurutalpī)

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?

Vidura teaches that certain acts—especially those that destroy life, violate the guru’s household, or undermine Vedic moral authority—are so corrosive to dharma that they are treated as equal in gravity to brahmahatyā (the paradigmatic ‘great sin’).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-setting, Vidura is instructing on standards of conduct and the moral weight of transgressions, classifying extreme offenders and warning that such behavior places one among the most culpable sinners.