Shloka 12

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

Udyoga-parva 94

Devanagari script

शक्या चेयं शमयितु त्वं चेदिच्छसि भारत । न दुष्करो ह्ात्र शमो मतो मे भरतर्षभ,भारत! यदि आप चाहते हों तो इस भयानक विपत्तिका अब भी निवारण किया जा सकता है। भरतश्रेष्ठ! इन दोनों पक्षोंमें शान्ति स्थापित होना मैं कठिन कार्य नहीं मानता हूँ

Transliteration

śakyā ceyaṃ śamayituṃ tvaṃ ced icchasi bhārata | na duṣkaro hy atra śamo mato me bharatarṣabha ||

Translation

毗舍波耶那说道：“噢婆罗多，若你真心愿意，此危局仍可平息。噢婆罗多族之雄牛，依我之见，此间和解并非难事。”

Word by Word

शक्याpossible, feasible

चand

इयम्this

शमयितुम्to pacify, to quell

त्वम्you

चेत्if

इच्छसिyou wish, you desire

भारतO Bharata (descendant of Bharata)

नnot

दुष्करःdifficult

हिindeed, for

अत्रhere, in this matter

शमःpeace, pacification

मतःconsidered, thought

मेof me, my

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas (best of Bharatas)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bhārata (addressed person, Kuru descendant)

Bharatarṣabha (addressed person, Kuru descendant)

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?

Peace is presented as achievable when there is genuine willingness; ethical responsibility lies in choosing conciliation over escalation, especially before violence becomes inevitable.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war setting, Vaiśampāyana frames the looming calamity as still preventable and urges that a settlement between the opposing sides is feasible if the addressed Kuru leader truly desires it.