Shloka 8

Divākara-prasāda and the Establishment of Akṣaya-anna

Sūrya’s Favor and Inexhaustible Provision

Devanagari script

यशो न नश्येज्ज्ञातिभेदश्न न स्याद्‌ धर्मो न स्यान्नैव चैवं कृते त्वाम्‌ । एतत्‌ कार्य तव सर्वप्रधानं तेषां तुष्टि: शकुनेश्चावमान:,ऐसा कर लेनेपर आपके यशका नाश नहीं होगा, भाइयोंमें फ़ूट नहीं होगी और आपको धर्मकी भी प्राप्ति होगी। आपके लिये सबसे प्रमुख कार्य यह है कि पाण्डवोंको संतुष्ट करें और शकुनिका तिरस्कार करें

Transliteration

yaśo na naśyej jñātibhedaś ca na syād dharmo na syān naiva caivaṁ kṛte tvām | etat kāryaṁ tava sarvapradhānaṁ teṣāṁ tuṣṭiḥ śakuneś cāvamānaḥ ||

Translation

“若大王如此行事，名声不致受损，宗亲之间亦不生裂痕，而你的作为仍与法相应。故当务之急，是使般度诸子心满意足，并断然摒弃沙昆尼挑拨离间之势——舍阴谋而取和解与正义。”

Word by Word

• {'yaśas': 'fame, good repute, honor', 'na naśyet': 'should not perish

• would not be destroyed', 'jñāti': 'kinsman, relative', 'bheda': 'split, division, rupture', 'na syāt': 'would not occur

• should not be', 'dharma': 'righteousness, moral law, rightful conduct', 'evaṁ kṛte': 'when done thus

• if this is carried out', 'tvām (tvayā)': 'by you

• in your case (addressing the king)', 'etat': 'this (course of action)', 'kāryam': 'what must be done

• necessary act', 'tava': 'your', 'sarva-pradhānam': 'most important of all

• paramount', 'teṣām': 'of them (the Pāṇḍavas)', 'tuṣṭiḥ': 'satisfaction, appeasement, contentment', 'śakuneḥ': 'of Śakuni', 'avamānaḥ': 'disrespect, rejection, humiliation

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• Pāṇḍavas
• Śakuni

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Vidura teaches that a ruler preserves honor and dharma by preventing division among relatives: prioritize reconciliation with the rightful parties (the Pāṇḍavas) and reject the counsel that fuels conflict (Śakuni’s intrigue).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura is giving political-moral counsel to the king, warning that policies driven by Śakuni’s manipulations will fracture the family; he urges a course that keeps fame intact, avoids kinship-splitting, and upholds dharma by satisfying the Pāṇḍavas.