Shloka 3

मārkaṇḍeya-ukta yuddha-vyūha-pratyavyūhaḥ

Battle Formations and Countermeasures in the Rāmopākhyāna

Devanagari script

न किंचिदीड्यं प्रवदन्ति पाप॑ वनेचरं वा गृहमेधिनं वा । तपस्विनं सम्परिपूर्णविद्यं भषन्ति हैवं श्वनरा: सुवीर,“अच्छे लोग पूजनीय, तपस्वी तथा पूर्ण विद्वान्‌ पुरुषके प्रति भले ही वह वनवासी हो या गृहस्थ कोई अनुचित बात नहीं कहते हैं। जयद्रथ! मनुष्योंमें जो तेरे-जैसे कुत्ते हैं, वे ही इस तरह भूँका करते हैं

Transliteration

na kiñcid īḍyaṃ pravadanti pāpā vane-caraṃ vā gṛha-medhinaṃ vā | tapasvinaṃ samparipūrṇa-vidyaṃ bhaṣanti haivaṃ śva-narāḥ su-vīra ||

Translation

వైశంపాయనుడు పలికెను—దుష్టులు ప్రశంసనీయమైన మాట ఏదీ పలుకరు. అరణ్యవాసి అయినా గృహస్థుడైనా, తపస్వి, విద్యాసంపన్నుడు అయితే సజ్జనులు అతనితో అనుచితంగా మాట్లాడరు. ఓ వీరా! మనుష్యుల్లో కుక్కలవంటి వారు మాత్రమే ఇలాగే మొరుగుతారు—నీవు మొరిగినట్లే।

Word by Word

[{'term''na kiñcit', 'meaning': 'nothing at all'}, {'term': 'īḍyam', 'meaning': 'praiseworthy

worthy of reverence'}, {'term''pravadanti', 'meaning': 'they speak

they utter'}, {'term''pāpāḥ', 'meaning': 'wicked people

sinners'}, {'term''vane-caram', 'meaning': 'forest-dweller

one who lives in the woods'}, {'term''gṛha-medhinam', 'meaning': 'householder

one engaged in domestic life'}, {'term''tapasvinam', 'meaning': 'ascetic

one practicing austerity'}, {'term''samparipūrṇa-vidyam', 'meaning': 'fully accomplished in knowledge

perfectly learned'}, {'term''bhaṣanti', 'meaning': 'they speak

they talk (often with a disparaging nuance)'}, {'term''ha', 'meaning': 'indeed

emphatic particle'}, {'term''evam', 'meaning': 'thus

in this way'}, {'term''śva-narāḥ', 'meaning': 'dog-like men

men of canine nature'}, {'term''su-vīra', 'meaning': 'O brave one

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Jayadratha

tapasvin (ascetic)

vane-cara (forest-dweller)

gṛha-medhin (householder)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Right speech is a mark of the good: one should not speak improperly to a learned ascetic, regardless of whether he lives as a forest-dweller or a householder. Harsh, contemptuous speech is portrayed as the behavior of the wicked—'dog-like' people.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a rebuke is directed at Jayadratha: his manner of speaking is condemned as abusive and ignoble, contrasting him with 'good people' who maintain reverence and restraint toward virtuous, learned ascetics.