Shloka 20

भीष्मद्रोणयोर्दुर्योधनं प्रति शान्त्युपदेशः | Bhīṣma and Droṇa’s Counsel to Duryodhana for Pacification

Devanagari script

यावनाथौ चरिष्येते त्वया नाथेन दुर्हदा । हतमित्रौ हतामात्यौ लूनपक्षाविवाण्डजौ

Transliteration

yāvanāthau cariṣyete tvayā nāthena durhṛdā | hatamitrau hatāmātyau lūnapakṣāv ivāṇḍajau ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Chừng nào hai người ấy, không còn chỗ nương tựa, còn phải sống dưới tay ngươi—một kẻ hộ trì chẳng hề thân thiện—thì họ sẽ như đôi chim bị cắt cánh: bạn hữu bị giết, bề tôi bị diệt, bất lực và không thể hành động.”

Word by Word

यावas long as / so long (as the two)

नाथौtwo lords/protectors

चरिष्येतेwill move/act/live

त्वयाby you

नाथेनas (their) protector/lord

दुर्हदाhard to subdue/overcome

हतslain/destroyed

मित्रौtwo friends/allies

हतslain/destroyed

अमात्यौtwo ministers/counsellors

लूनcut off/clipped

पक्षौtwo wings

इवlike/as

अण्डजौtwo birds (egg-born creatures)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

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 verse highlights the ethical failure of ‘protection’ that is hostile in intent: when those who should be safeguarded are placed under an ill-wisher, they become effectively incapacitated—stripped of support, counsel, and agency—like birds whose wings are cut.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a situation in which two persons, lacking true protectors and forced to live under a hostile authority, are portrayed as politically and practically powerless—having lost allies and ministers—using the vivid simile of wing-clipped birds.