Shloka 27

कण्वोपदेशः—नश्वरबलविवेकः तथा मातलिगुणकेश्याः आख्यानारम्भः

Kaṇva’s Counsel on Impermanent Power; Opening of the Mātali–Guṇakeśī Narrative

Devanagari script

दग्भोद्भव उवाच यद्येतदस्त्रमस्मासु युक्त तापस मन्यसे

Transliteration

dagbhodbhava uvāca yady etad astram asmāsu yukta tāpasa manyase

Translation

达格菩陀婆说道：“若你，噢，苦行者，认为此兵器用在我们身上乃是正当……”

Word by Word

• दग्भोद्भवः: Dagbhodbhava (proper name)
• दग्भोद्भवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दग्भोद्भव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• अस्त्रम्: weapon; missile
• अस्त्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्र
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• अस्मासु: among us; on us
• अस्मासु: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Locative, Plural

• युक्तः: applied; employed; used
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तापस: O ascetic
• तापस: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• मन्यसे: you think; you consider
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन्
• Form: Present, Second, Singular

Speaker

दग्भोद्भव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dagbhodbhava
• tāpasa (an ascetic)
• astra (weapon)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in conflict, the use of a weapon must be judged by propriety (yukti) and dharma; an ascetic in particular is expected to exercise restraint and moral discernment before employing force.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dagbhodbhava addresses an ascetic and questions whether the weapon being directed at them is truly justified, implying a dispute over the rightful application of an astra.