Shloka 20

सूर्य–कर्णोपदेशः

Sūrya’s Counsel to Karṇa on Kīrti and the Kuṇḍala

Devanagari script

विविधेषु प्रशस्तेषु बहुमूलफलेषु च । प्रभूतमधुमूलेषु वारिमत्सु शिवेषु च,जहाँ फल-मूलकी बहुतायत होती, मधु और कन्द-मूल प्रचुरमात्रामें उपलब्ध होते तथा जलकी अधिक सुविधा होती, ऐसे कल्याणकारी और उत्तम विविध पर्वतीय शिखरोंपर डेरा डालती हुई वह वानरसेना बिना किसी विघ्न-बाधाके खारे पानीवाले समुद्रके निकट जा पहुँची

Transliteration

vividheṣu praśasteṣu bahumūlaphaleṣu ca | prabhūtamadhumūleṣu vārimatsu śiveṣu ca ||

Translation

马尔坎德耶说道：他们从一处吉祥之地行至另一处吉祥之地——那些以果实与根茎丰饶而著称的山巅，蜜与可食块茎充盈，水源亦充足——猿猴大军沿途安营扎寨，毫无阻碍，终于逼近那咸水之海。

Word by Word

• {'vividheṣu': 'in various, diverse (places)', 'praśasteṣu': 'praiseworthy, auspicious, excellent', 'bahu': 'many, abundant', 'mūla': 'root

• edible root/tuber', 'phala': 'fruit', 'bahumūlaphaleṣu': 'in places with abundant roots and fruits', 'prabhūta': 'plentiful, abundant', 'madhu': 'honey', 'madhumūla': 'honey and roots/tubers (as provisions)', 'prabhūtamadhumūleṣu': 'in places rich in honey and edible roots', 'vāri': 'water', 'vārimat': 'possessing water

• well-watered', 'vārimatsu': 'in water-rich places', 'śiva': 'auspicious, beneficial, safe', 'śiveṣu': 'in auspicious/safe places'}

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• vānarasenā (monkey host)
• parvatīya-śikhara (mountain peaks)
• samudra (salt sea)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sound leadership supports dharma through practical wisdom: selecting safe, resource-rich places (food, water, shelter) prevents avoidable hardship and allows a collective purpose to be pursued steadily and without disruption.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes a monkey host advancing on its route, camping on auspicious mountain peaks abundant in fruits, roots, honey, and water, and eventually reaching the vicinity of the salt sea without encountering obstacles.