Shloka 25

Devanagari script

इमे सद्धर्ममाहात्म्ययशोवीर्यनिवर्तिन: । नाहन्ति व्यसन भोक्तुं नन्वेषां क्रियतां दया,ये मेरे पुत्र उत्तम धर्म, महात्मा पुरुषोंके शील-स्वभाव, यश और पराक्रमका अनुसरण करनेवाले हैं, अतः कष्ट भोगनेके योग्य नहीं हैं; भगवन्‌! इनपर तो दया करो

Transliteration

Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca: ime saddharma-māhātmya-yaśo-vīrya-nivartinaḥ | nārhanti vyasanaṃ bhoktuṃ, nanv eṣāṃ kriyatāṃ dayā ||

Translation

บุตรของข้าพเจ้าเหล่านี้ดำเนินตามหนทางธรรมอันประเสริฐ อาศัยมหิมาแห่งสัทธรรม และแบบอย่างแห่งความประพฤติ เกียรติยศ และวีรภาพของมหาบุรุษผู้มีจิตสูงส่ง เขาทั้งหลายไม่สมควรเสวยเคราะห์กรรมอันทุกข์ยาก ดังนั้นข้าแต่ท่านผู้ควรเคารพ โปรดเมตตาเขาเถิด

Word by Word

इमेthese

सद्धर्मtrue dharma / good conduct

माहात्म्यgreatness, noble nature

यशःfame

वीर्यvalor, strength

निवर्तिनःfollowing, conforming to

नnot

आहन्तिthey strike/kill (i.e., are fit to be struck)

व्यसनम्misfortune, calamity

भोक्तुम्to experience/endure

ननुindeed, surely

एषाम्of these (persons)

क्रियताम्let (it) be done / may (it) be shown

दयाcompassion, mercy

Speaker

वैशमग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

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?

The verse frames compassion (dayā) as an ethical response aligned with saddharma: those who strive to follow righteous exemplars should not be crushed by misfortune, and a superior is urged to temper judgment with mercy.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the midst of the Sabha Parva’s crisis and punitive outcomes, a speaker pleads before a revered authority that ‘my sons’—portrayed as dharma-following and noble—should not be made to endure suffering, and requests compassionate intervention.