Shloka 11

Adhyāya 6: Vidura’s Saṃsāra-Upamā

The Allegory of the Well, Time, and Desire

Devanagari script

मुखानि ऋतवो मासा: पादा द्वादश कीर्तिता: । ये तु वृक्ष निकृन्‍्तन्ति मूषिका: सततोत्थिता:

Transliteration

mukhāni ṛtavo māsāḥ pādā dvādaśa kīrtitāḥ | ye tu vṛkṣa nikṛntanti mūṣikāḥ satatotthitāḥ ||

Translation

“Những khuôn mặt” của nó là các mùa; mười hai “bàn chân” của nó được nói là các tháng. Nhưng có những con chuột luôn trỗi dậy, không ngừng gặm nhấm và cắt đổ cây ấy.

Word by Word

मुखानिfaces; mouths

ऋतवःseasons

मासाःmonths

पादाःfeet; quarters

द्वादशtwelve

कीर्तिताःare declared; are described

येwho; those who

तुbut; however

वृक्षान्trees

निकृन्तन्तिcut down; hew

मूषिकाःrats; mice

सततconstantly; always

उत्थिताःrisen up; having arisen

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

Ṛ

ṛtavaḥ (seasons)

māsāḥ (months)

vṛkṣa (tree)

mūṣikāḥ (mice/rats)

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?

Time is orderly (seasons and months) yet relentlessly consuming (the ever-active ‘mice’). Therefore one should act with awareness and responsibility, not postponing dharmic duties or assuming life is secure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura speaks in a reflective, admonitory tone, employing a metaphor of a tree whose structure is marked by seasons and months, while unseen, ceaseless forces (mice) continually gnaw it down—an image meant to awaken urgency and ethical clarity amid grief and aftermath.