Shloka 343

Devanagari script

वक्तुम्हसि वक्तव्य: कस्मात्‌ त्वं परुषाण्यथ । जब तू स्वयं ही चाण्डालके समान ऐसा पाप-कर्म करके निन्दाका पात्र बन गया है, तब दूसरेको कटु वचन सुनानेका कैसे अधिकारी हो सकता है?

Transliteration

vaktum asi vaktavyaḥ kasmāt tvaṃ paruṣāṇy atha | yadā tvaṃ svayam eva cāṇḍālaka-samo 'si pāpa-karma kṛtvā nindā-pātraṃ jātaḥ, tadā 'nyān prati kaṭu-vacanaṃ vaktuṃ katham adhikārī bhavasi ||

Translation

ఇతరులపై కఠిన వచనాలు పలకడానికి నీకు హక్కెక్కడిది? నీవే చాండాలుడిలా పాపకర్మ చేసి నిందకు పాత్రుడవయ్యావు; అప్పుడు ఏ హక్కుతో నీవు ఎవరికైనా చేదు మాటలు అంటావు?

Word by Word

वक्तुम्to speak

अर्हसिyou are fit / you deserve

वक्तव्यःone who should be spoken (to) / to be addressed

कस्मात्from what? why?

त्वम्you

परुषाणिharsh (words/things)

अथthen / now / indeed

Speaker

धृष्टह्युम्न उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛṣṭadyumna

cāṇḍāla (as a social/ethical comparison)

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?

Moral authority to criticize depends on one’s own conduct: a person stained by wrongdoing loses the ethical standing to rebuke others with harsh speech.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛṣṭadyumna rebukes an opponent (or interlocutor) for speaking bitterly, arguing that since the other has committed a condemnable act and become blameworthy, he has no right to insult others.