Shloka 17

Devanagari script

अल्पो5पि हारिरत्यर्थ वर्धमान: पराक्रमै: । वल्मीको मूलज इव ग्रसते वृक्षमन्तिकात्‌

Transliteration

alpo 'pi hārir atyarthaṁ vardhamānaḥ parākramaiḥ | valmīko mūlaja iva grasate vṛkṣam antikāt ||

Translation

杜尤陀那说：“纵是微小之敌，若凭勇武之举而极度壮大，也能吞噬毁灭强者——如同生于树根的白蚁，紧贴其旁，渐渐蚀尽整棵树。”

Word by Word

• अल्पः: small, little
• अल्पः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अपि: even, although
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• अरिः: enemy
• अरिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अत्यर्थम्: excessively, greatly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्यर्थम्

• वर्धमानः: growing, increasing
• वर्धमानः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वर्ध्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पराक्रमैः: by acts of valor; by prowess
• पराक्रमैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पराक्रम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• वल्मीके: in an anthill
• वल्मीके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वल्मीक
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• मूलजः: root-born; arising at the root
• मूलजः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूलज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• ग्रसते: devours, consumes
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रस्
• Form: Present, Ātmanepada, Third, Singular

• वृक्षम्: tree
• वृक्षम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अन्तिकात्: from close by; at close quarters
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्तिक
• Form: ablatival adverb (from near/at close quarters)

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• enemy (hāri)
• termite (valmīka)
• tree (vṛkṣa)
• root (mūla)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Do not underestimate a minor adversary: if allowed to grow in strength and influence, even a seemingly insignificant foe can undermine and destroy a far stronger power from within or from close proximity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sabha Parva context, Duryodhana is voicing strategic anxiety and warning: he frames an enemy’s gradual rise as a hidden, root-born threat—using the termite-and-tree image to argue that a small opponent, once empowered, can bring down the established strong.