Shloka 9

Jñāna-plava (The Raft of Knowledge): Svabhāva, Prajñā, and the Ascent to Ātmajñāna

Devanagari script

उक्ताश्न न वदिष्यन्ति वक्तारमहिते हितम्‌ । प्रतिहन्तुं न चेच्छन्ति हन्तारं वै मनीषिण:,उन मनीषी पुरुषोंसे कोई कटु वचन कह दे तो वे उस कटुवादी पुरुषको बदलेमें कुछ नहीं कहते। अपना अहित करनेवालेका भी हित ही चाहते हैं तथा जो उन्हें मारता है, उसे भी वे बदलेमें मारना नहीं चाहते हैं

Transliteration

uktāś na vadiṣyanti vaktāram ahite hitam | pratihantuṁ na cecchanti hantāraṁ vai manīṣiṇaḥ ||

Translation

Jaigiṣavya nói: Người trí không lấy lời cay nghiệt đáp lại lời cay nghiệt. Dẫu kẻ nào hành động trái với lợi ích của họ, họ vẫn tìm điều lợi cho kẻ ấy; và dẫu kẻ nào đánh họ, họ cũng không muốn trả đũa bằng cách đánh lại.

Word by Word

उक्ताश्नthe wise (those who have eaten/accepted what is said; i.e., disciplined/controlled in speech)

नnot

वदिष्यन्तिwill speak

वक्तारम्the speaker

अहितेin (one’s) harm / when harm is done

हितम्benefit, good

प्रतिहन्तुम्to strike back / to retaliate

नnot

चand

इच्छन्तिdesire, wish

हन्तारम्the killer / one who strikes

वैindeed

मनीषिणःthe wise, the thoughtful

Speaker

जैगीषव्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Jaigiṣavya (speaker)

manīṣiṇaḥ (the wise)

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 core teaching is kṣamā and non-vengeance: a truly wise person does not repay harsh words with harsh words, and does not seek to harm even one who harms them, but instead aims at what is ultimately beneficial.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Jaigiṣavya articulates the behavior of the manīṣin (wise): restraint in speech and refusal to retaliate, presenting an ideal of ethical self-mastery.