Shloka 23

Devanagari script

विचार्य कुण्डधारस्तु मानुष्यं चलमध्रुवम्‌ । तपसे मतिमाधत्त ब्राह्मणस्य युधिछ्िर,युधिष्ठिर! परंतु कुण्डधारने यह सोचकर कि मानव-जीवन चंचल एवं अस्थिर है, उस ब्राह्मणके तपोबलको भी बढ़ानेका विचार किया

Transliteration

vicārya kuṇḍadhārastu mānuṣyaṃ calam adhruvam | tapase matim ādhatt brāhmaṇasya yudhiṣṭhira ||

Translation

Suy ngẫm rằng đời người mong manh và vô thường, Kuṇḍadhāra—hỡi Yudhiṣṭhira—quyết đem tâm hướng về khổ hạnh (tapas), mong làm tăng trưởng sức mạnh tinh thần của vị bà-la-môn ấy.

Word by Word

विचार्यhaving considered

कुण्डधारःKundadhara (proper name)

तुbut/indeed

मानुष्यंhuman life/state of being human

चलम्unstable, fickle

अध्रुवम्impermanent, not lasting

तपसेfor austerity / for penance

मतिम्intention, resolve, thought

आधत्तhe set (his mind), he resolved

ब्राह्मणस्यof the Brahmin

युधिष्ठिरO Yudhishthira

Speaker

मणिभद्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

म

मणिभद्र (Maṇibhadra)

क

कुण्डधार (Kuṇḍadhāra)

ब

ब्राह्मण (a brāhmaṇa)

य

युधिष्ठिर (Yudhiṣṭhira)

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?

Recognizing the impermanence of human life should lead to purposeful self-discipline: one should direct the mind toward tapas (austerity and inner restraint) to cultivate spiritual strength and ethical steadiness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Maṇibhadra, addressing Yudhiṣṭhira, narrates that Kuṇḍadhāra reflects on the unstable nature of human existence and therefore resolves to undertake austerities, with the intention of increasing the brāhmaṇa’s ascetic/spiritual potency.