Shloka 26

Devanagari script

गच्छ राजानमासाद्य स्वकर्म कथयस्व वै । अदत्तादानमेवं हि कृतं पार्थिवसत्तम

Transliteration

gaccha rājānam āsādya svakarma kathayasva vai | adattādānam evaṁ hi kṛtaṁ pārthivasattama ||

Translation

(วยาสะ) กล่าวว่า “จงไปเข้าเฝ้าพระราชา แล้วเล่ากรรมของตนให้ชัดแจ้งเถิด ข้าแต่พระราชาผู้ประเสริฐ นี่แลคือ ‘อทัตตทาน’—การเอาหรือให้สิ่งที่มิได้ถูกมอบให้โดยชอบ”

Word by Word

गच्छgo

राजानम्the king

आसाद्यhaving approached

स्वकर्मone's own deed

कथयस्वtell, relate

वैindeed

अदत्तादानम्a gift not given (i.e., promised but not bestowed)

एवम्thus

हिfor, indeed

कृतम्done, committed

पार्थिवसत्तमO best of kings

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

the king (rājā)

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?

One should be transparent and accountable for one’s actions, especially regarding property and gifts. A ‘gift’ is dharmic only when it is rightfully one’s to give; giving what was not properly granted (adatta-dāna) is ethically flawed and must be acknowledged before rightful authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa instructs someone to go directly to the king and report their own action. The statement frames the deed as ‘adatta-dāna’—an act involving giving or transferring something without proper authorization—implying the need for confession and rectification under royal oversight.