Shloka 17

Book 12, Chapter 93 — Vāmadeva’s Counsel to King Vasumanā on Dharmic Kingship (धर्मप्रधान-राजधर्मोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

अथ मानयितुर्दाम्न: श्लक्षणस्य वशवर्तिन: । व्यसन स्वमिवोत्पन्नं विजिघांसन्ति मानवा:

Transliteration

atha mānayitur dāmnaḥ ślakṣṇasya vaśavartinaḥ | vyasanaṃ svam ivotpannaṃ vijighāṃsanti mānavāḥ ||

Translation

再者，若有人敬重众人，慷慨施与，行止温和，并以体恤与谦让之心待人；一旦灾厄临身，人们便视之如同自身的不幸，竭力为他消弭。

Word by Word

• अथ: then/now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• मानयितुः: of the one who honors (respects)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानयितृ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• दाम्नः: of the giver (donor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दामन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• श्लक्षणस्य: of the affectionate/gentle one
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्लक्षण
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• वशवर्तिनः: of one who is compliant/under others' control
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वशवर्तिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• व्यसनम्: calamity/misfortune
• व्यसनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यसन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• स्वम्: one's own
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• इव: as if/like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• उत्पन्नम्: arisen/occurred
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्पन्न
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• विजिघांसन्ति: wish to destroy/remove
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (√हन्) with desiderative stem जिघांस- and prefix वि-
• Form: Present, Indicative, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• मानवाः: people/men
• मानवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वामदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वामदेव (Vāmadeva)
• माणवाः (people)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A person who consistently respects others, gives generously, and behaves gently earns collective goodwill; therefore, when adversity strikes him, society naturally rallies to help, treating his distress as their own.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāmadeva is describing a moral principle in the Shānti Parva: the social and ethical consequences of virtuous conduct—how a beneficent, considerate person becomes protected by the affection and support of others in times of crisis.