Shloka 2

अग्निशाप-प्रसंगः

Agni’s Curse and the Restoration of Ritual Order

Devanagari script

धर्मे प्रयतमानस्य सत्यं च वदत: समम्‌ | पृष्टो यदब्रवं सत्यं व्यभिचारो5त्र को मम,“मैं सदा धर्मके लिये प्रयत्मनशील रहता और सत्य एवं पक्षपातशून्य वचन बोलता हूँ; अतः उस राक्षसके पूछनेपर यदि मैंने सच्ची बात कह दी तो इसमें मेरा क्या अपराध है?

Transliteration

dharme prayatamānasya satyaṃ ca vadataḥ samam | pṛṣṭo yad abravāṃ satyaṃ vyabhicāro 'tra ko mama ||

Translation

“我一向勤勉守持达摩，所言皆真实而不偏不倚。因此那罗刹问我时，我若据实作答，我又有何过失、何来偏差？”

Word by Word

• धर्मे: in/with regard to dharma
• धर्मे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• प्रयतमानस्य: of (one) striving/endeavoring
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रयतमान (प्र-यत् धातु, शतृ-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• वदतः: of (one) speaking/saying
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular, शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्यय (present active participle) used adjectivally: 'of (one) speaking'

• समम्: equally, impartially
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम

• पृष्टः: asked (having been asked)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पृच्छ्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle): 'having been asked'

• यत्: what/that which
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अब्रवम्: I said/spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सत्यम्: true
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular, used predicatively/appositionally with 'यत्': 'what I said (was) true'

• व्यभिचारः: deviation, transgression, fault
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यभिचार
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अत्र: here, in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र

• कः: what? which? (who?)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मम: of me, my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular, 1st

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• शौनक (Śaunaka)
• राक्षस (rākṣasa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Truth spoken without bias, in alignment with dharma, is presented as blameless; ethical fault lies not in truthful speech itself but in departing from righteousness.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker defends himself against an implied accusation: having been questioned by a rākṣasa, he answered truthfully and argues that such truthful, impartial speech cannot be counted as a transgression.