Shloka 55

Devanagari script

तमहं भारमासक्तमनाधृष्य॑ दुरात्मभि: । सुखं सर्व परित्यज्य रात्र्यहानि घटामि वै,“मुझपर जो भार रखा गया था, उसे दुष्ट स्वभावके स्त्री-पुरुष नहीं उठा सकते थे। परंतु मैं सब प्रकारका सुख-भोग छोड़कर रात-दिन उस दुर्वह भारको वहन करनेकी चेष्टा किया करती थी

Transliteration

tam ahaṃ bhāram āsaktam anādhṛṣyaṃ durātmabhiḥ | sukhaṃ sarvaṃ parityajya rātryahāni ghaṭāmi vai ||

Translation

“加诸我身的重担，乃是心术邪恶的男女所不能负荷者。然而我舍弃一切安逸享乐，昼夜不息，竭力承担那沉重难当之责。”

Word by Word

तम्that (burden)

अहम्I

भारम्burden, load

आसक्तम्attached/placed upon (me)

अनाधृष्यम्unassailable / not to be overcome

दुरात्मभिःby evil-minded persons

सुखम्comfort, pleasure

सर्वम्all

परित्यज्यhaving abandoned

रात्रिnight

अहानिdays

घटामिI strive / I endeavor

वैindeed

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

bhāra (burden/responsibility)

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True dharma is shown through steadfast acceptance of responsibility: one may need to renounce personal comfort and persist day and night in carrying a difficult duty that the morally weak would abandon.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) describes bearing an exceptionally heavy responsibility—one that ‘wicked-minded’ people could not endure—while giving up all pleasures and continually striving to sustain it.