Shloka 54

Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris

Udyoga-parva 94

Devanagari script

प्रशाम्य भरतश्रेष्ठ मा मन्युवशमन्वगा: । पित्र्यं तेभ्य: प्रदायांशं पाण्डवेभ्यो यथोचितम्‌

Transliteration

praśāmya bharataśreṣṭha mā manyuvaśam anvagāḥ | pitryaṁ tebhyaḥ pradāyāṁśaṁ pāṇḍavebhyo yathocitam ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana nói: “Hãy nguôi lòng, hỡi bậc tối thượng trong dòng Bharata; chớ để cơn giận chi phối. Hãy trao cho họ phần gia sản của cha ông đúng như lẽ phải, và ban cho các Pāṇḍava phần xứng đáng, hợp đạo.”

Word by Word

• प्रशाम्य: be calm; pacify yourself
• प्रशाम्य: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-शम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), 2, singular, परस्मैपद

• भरतश्रेष्ठ: O best of the Bharatas
• भरतश्रेष्ठ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत-श्रेष्ठ
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• मा: do not
• मा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा

• मन्युवशम्: under the control of anger
• मन्युवशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्यु-वश
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• अन्वगाः: you went/followed
• अन्वगाः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (aorist), 2, singular, परस्मैपद

• पित्र्यम्: paternal; inherited (share)
• पित्र्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितृय (पित्र्य)
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• तेभ्यः: to them
• तेभ्यः: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine, dative, plural

• प्रदाय: having given
• प्रदाय: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive), active

• अंशम्: share; portion
• अंशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अंश
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• पाण्डवेभ्यः: to the Pandavas
• पाण्डवेभ्यः: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: masculine, dative, plural

• यथोचितम्: as is proper; appropriately
• यथोचितम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा-उचित

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Bharata (dynasty)
• Pāṇḍavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Anger must not govern decision-making; dharma requires giving others their rightful, inherited share—justice and propriety take precedence over resentment.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s tense pre-war context, the speaker urges a Kuru elder/prince addressed as “best of the Bharatas” to calm down and to allot the Pāṇḍavas their due paternal portion, aiming at a lawful settlement rather than escalation.