Shloka 55

Āṇīmāṇḍavya–Upākhyāna

The Account of Āṇīmāṇḍavya and the Birth of Vidura

Devanagari script

थान्तनुरु॒वाच श्रुत्वा तव वरं दाश व्यवस्येयमहं तव । दातव्यं चेत्‌ प्रदास्यामि न त्वदेयं कथंचन,शान्तनुने कहा--निषाद! पहले तुम्हारे अभीष्ट वरको सुन लेनेपर मैं उसके विषयमें कुछ निश्चय कर सकता हूँ। यदि देनेयोग्य होगा, तो दूँगा और देनेयोग्य नहीं होगा, तो कदापि नहीं दे सकता

Transliteration

śāntanur uvāca śrutvā tava varaṃ dāśa vyavasyeham ahaṃ tava | dātavyaṃ cet pradāsyāmi na tv adeyaṃ kathaṃcana ||

Translation

శాంతనువు పలికెను—ఓ మత్స్యకారుడా! నీకు కావలసిన వరాన్ని విని నేను నిర్ణయిస్తాను. అది ఇవ్వదగినదైతే ఇస్తాను; ఇవ్వదగినది కాకపోతే ఎట్టి పరిస్థితుల్లోనూ ఇవ్వను.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'śāntanuḥ', 'definition': 'King Śāntanu (Kuru king)'}, {'term': 'uvāca', 'definition': 'said'}, {'term': 'śrutvā', 'definition': 'having heard'}, {'term': 'tava', 'definition': 'your'}, {'term': 'varam', 'definition': 'boon

• desired request'}, {'term': 'dāśa', 'definition': 'fisherman

• (here) addressed to the Niṣāda/fisher-chief'}, {'term': 'vyavasye', 'definition': 'I will determine/decide

• I will resolve'}, {'term': 'aham', 'definition': 'I'}, {'term': 'dātavyam', 'definition': 'that which is to be given

• proper/allowable to grant'}, {'term': 'cet', 'definition': 'if'}, {'term': 'pradāsyāmi', 'definition': 'I will give

• I will bestow'}, {'term': 'na', 'definition': 'not'}, {'term': 'adeyam', 'definition': 'not to be given

• improper/impermissible to grant'}, {'term': 'kathaṃcana', 'definition': 'in any way

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śāntanu
• Dāśa (fisherman/Niṣāda)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should not promise blindly. Śāntanu frames ethical restraint: only what is proper (dātavya) may be granted, while what is improper (adeya) must be refused, even if requested as a ‘boon’.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śāntanu–fisherman exchange, the fisherman is about to state a condition/boon. Śāntanu responds that he will first hear the request and then decide—granting it only if it is legitimate to give.