Shloka 87

Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154

Devanagari script

प्रदीप्ता: पुत्रशोकेन संनिवर्तत मानुषा:

Transliteration

pradīptāḥ putraśokena saṁnivartata mānuṣāḥ

Translation

Bừng cháy vì nỗi đau mất con, dân chúng quay đầu trở lại—bị sầu khổ nhấn chìm, không sao bước tiếp.

Word by Word

• प्रदीप्ताः: inflamed, agitated
• प्रदीप्ताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रदीप्त (√दीप् + प्र, क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पुत्रशोकेन: by grief for (one's) son
• पुत्रशोकेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्रशोक
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• संनिवर्तत: turning back, withdrawing
• संनिवर्तत: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संनिवर्तत् (√वृत् + सम्/नि, शतृ)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मानुषाः: men, human beings
• मानुषाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

जम्बुक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• जम्बुक (Jambuka)
• मानुषाः (people/humans)
• पुत्र (sons/children)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Intense attachment, when struck by loss, can ‘ignite’ the mind with grief and cause people to abandon their intended path. The ethical implication is the need for steadiness (dhairya) and discernment so that sorrow does not overturn dharma-driven action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Jambuka describes a scene where people, overwhelmed by the sorrow of losing their sons, retreat or desist. The emphasis is on the observable human response to bereavement—grief becomes so consuming that it reverses movement and resolve.