Shloka 16

Devanagari script

सुद्युम्नश्षापि राजर्षि: श्रूयते दण्डधारणात्‌ । प्राप्तवान्‌ परमां सिद्धि दक्ष: प्राचेतसो यथा

Transliteration

sudyumnaś cāpi rājarṣiḥ śrūyate daṇḍadhāraṇāt | prāptavān paramāṁ siddhiṁ dakṣaḥ prācetaso yathā ||

Translation

Vyāsa nói: “Người ta cũng nghe rằng bậc vương thánh Sudyumna, nhờ nắm giữ kỷ luật của cây gậy—tức tự chế và quyền uy chính nghĩa—đã đạt thành tựu tối thượng, như Dakṣa, con của Pracetas.”

Word by Word

सुद्युम्नःSudyumna

अपिalso/indeed

राजर्षिःroyal sage

श्रूयतेis heard/is said

दण्डधारणात्from bearing the staff (of discipline)

प्राप्तवान्having attained

परमाम्supreme/highest

सिद्धिम्attainment/perfection

दक्षःDaksha

प्राचेतसःson of Prachetas (Prācetasa)

यथाas/just as

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sudyumna

Dakṣa

Pracetas

Daṇḍa (the staff/rod; symbol of discipline and righteous governance)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Supreme success (paramā siddhi) is attributed to disciplined adherence to dharma—symbolized by “bearing the staff” (daṇḍadhāraṇa), which implies self-control and the just exercise of authority rather than mere worldly power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa cites traditional exemplars: Sudyumna is said to have attained the highest perfection through daṇḍadhāraṇa, and Dakṣa Prācetasa is invoked as a parallel case—both serving as authoritative precedents within the Shānti Parva’s ethical instruction.