Shloka 16

Devanagari script

वाचं स वदतां श्रेष्ठो ह्वादिनीं वचनक्षमाम्‌ | त्रासिनीं धार्तराष्ट्राणां मृदुपूर्वां सुदारुणाम्‌

Transliteration

vācaṃ sa vadatāṃ śreṣṭho hvādinīṃ vacanakṣamām | trāsinīṃ dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāṃ mṛdupūrvāṃ sudāruṇām

Translation

சஞ்சயன் கூறினான்—பேச்சாளர்களில் முதன்மையான அவர், இனிமையும் ஒழுங்கும் கொண்ட சொற்களை உரைத்தார்; ஆனால் அவைத் துரிதராஷ்டிரர் புதல்வர்க்கு அச்சம் விளைவிப்பவை—தொடக்கத்தில் மென்மை, முடிவில் உண்மையை வெட்டிக் காட்டும் கடுமை உடையவை।

Word by Word

वाचम्speech, words

सःhe

वदताम्of speakers, of those speaking

श्रेष्ठःbest, foremost

ह्वादिनीम्delighting, pleasing

वचनक्षमाम्capable in speech, eloquent

त्रासिनीम्terrifying, causing fear

धार्तराष्ट्राणाम्of the Dhārtarāṣṭras (sons/party of Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

मृदुपूर्वाम्having a gentle beginning (soft at first)

सुदारुणाम्very harsh, exceedingly cruel

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhārtarāṣṭras (sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

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?

Ethical speech can be both courteous and forceful: one may begin gently to maintain decorum and receptivity, yet speak with firm severity when confronting adharma. The verse praises disciplined rhetoric—pleasant in form, truthful and even fear-inducing in its moral consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a principal speaker (contextually, a leading counselor or envoy in the Udyoga Parva’s negotiations) delivering a carefully crafted address: pleasing and articulate, but alarming to the Dhārtarāṣṭras because it exposes their peril and wrongdoing, moving from soft opening to stern admonition.