Shloka 5

Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)

Devanagari script

अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम्‌ । मुनि: कालकवृक्षीय: कौसल्यं यदुवाच ह,इस विषयमें जानकार लोग, कालकवृक्षीय मुनिने कोसलराजको जो उपदेश दिया था, उसी प्राचीन इतिहासका उदाहरण दिया करते हैं

Transliteration

atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam | muniḥ kālakavṛkṣīyaḥ kausalyaṃ yad uvāca ha ||

Translation

ในเรื่องนี้เอง บัณฑิตทั้งหลายยังยกแบบอย่างโบราณขึ้นกล่าว—คือคำสั่งสอนที่ฤๅษีกาลกะ-วฤกษียะเคยถวายแก่กษัตริย์เกาสัลยะ แห่งแคว้นโกศล

Word by Word

अत्रhere, in this context

अपिalso, even

उदाहरन्तिthey cite, they adduce (as an example)

इमम्this

इतिहासम्story, ancient account

पुरातनम्ancient, old

मुनिःsage

कालकवृक्षीयःKalakavṛkṣīya (descendant/of the line of Kalakavṛkṣa; proper epithet)

कौसल्यंto Kausalya (the Kosala king; patronymic)

यत्which (what)

उवाचsaid, spoke

हindeed, (narrative particle)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Kālaka-vṛkṣīya (sage)

Kausalya (king of Kosala)

Itihāsa (ancient precedent)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma signals that the point under discussion is best understood through established precedent: the wise rely on ancient exempla (itihāsa) and the counsel of sages to clarify dharma and proper royal conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma introduces an old illustrative story, announcing that he will recount (or allude to) the instruction once given by the sage Kālaka-vṛkṣīya to Kausalya, the king of Kosala, as an authoritative example for the present teaching.