Shloka 14

Devanagari script

न चैनमभिहन्तुं ते शकनुवन्ति बलक्षये | सम्यग्वृत्तो हि राजा स धर्मनित्यो युधिष्ठिर,युधिष्ठिर! सेना और खजाना नष्ट हो जानेपर भी वे आक्रमणकारी शत्रु सुवर्चाका वध न कर सके; क्योंकि वे राजा नित्यधर्मपरायण और सदाचारी थे

Transliteration

na cainam abhihantuṃ te śakanuvanti balakṣaye | samyagvṛtto hi rājā sa dharmanityo yudhiṣṭhira ||

Translation

วยาสะกล่าวว่า— โอยุธิษฐิระ แม้กำลังของพวกเขาจะร่อยหรอ เหล่าศัตรูผู้บุกโจมตีก็มิอาจปลงพระชนม์พระองค์ได้ เพราะพระราชานั้นทรงประพฤติชอบและมั่นคงในธรรมอยู่เสมอ

Word by Word

नnot

चand

एनम्him

अभिहन्तुम्to slay/kill

तेthey (those)

शक्नुवन्तिare able

बलक्षयेat the destruction of strength/army

सम्यक्properly, rightly

वृत्तःwell-conducted, of good conduct

हिindeed, for

राजाking

सःhe

धर्मनित्यःever steadfast in dharma

युधिष्ठिरO Yudhiṣṭhira

युधिष्ठिरO Yudhiṣṭhira!

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Yudhiṣṭhira

the king (unnamed in this verse)

assailant enemies (unnamed)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s ethic that steadfast dharma and upright conduct confer a kind of inviolability: moral integrity becomes a source of strength that can thwart even hostile force when ordinary power wanes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, describing a situation where attackers, despite the depletion of their military strength, fail to kill a certain king—because that king is consistently devoted to dharma and exemplary in conduct.