Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.17.12
मैत्रेय उवाच
पृथु: प्रजानां करुणं निशम्य परिदेवितम् । दीर्घं दध्यौ कुरुश्रेष्ठ निमित्तं सोऽन्वपद्यत ॥ १२ ॥
maitreya uvāca
[maitreya uvaacha]
pṛthuḥ prajānāṁ karuṇaṁ
[prithuh prajaanaam karunam]
niśamya paridevitam
[nishamya paridevitam]
dīrghaṁ dadhyau kuruśreṣṭha
[deergham dadhyau kurushreshtha]
nimittaṁ so ’nvapadyata
[nimittam so ’nvapadyata]
Word-for-word
maitreyaḥ uvāca
—
the great saint Maitreya said
pṛthuḥ
—
King Pṛthu
prajānām
—
of the citizens
karuṇam
—
pitiable condition
niśamya
—
hearing
paridevitam
—
lamentation
dīrgham
—
for a long time
dadhyau
—
contemplated
kuru-śreṣṭha
—
O Vidura
nimittam
—
the cause
saḥ
—
he
anvapadyata
—
found out.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
maitreya uvāca
maitreyaḥ uvāca
the great saint Maitreya said
pṛthuḥ prajānāṁ karuṇaṁ
pṛthuḥ
King Pṛthu
prajānām
of the citizens
karuṇam
pitiable condition
niśamya paridevitam
niśamya
hearing
paridevitam
lamentation
dīrghaṁ dadhyau kuruśreṣṭha
dīrgham
for a long time
dadhyau
contemplated
kuru-śreṣṭha
O Vidura
nimittaṁ so ’nvapadyata
nimittam
the cause
saḥ
he
anvapadyata
found out.
After hearing this lamentation and seeing the pitiable condition of the citizens, King Pṛthu contemplated this matter for a long time to see if he could find out the underlying causes.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Maitreya said: O Vidura! Hearing the miserable lamentation the citizens, Pṛthu thought for a long time and then discovered the reason.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Hearing them, Pṛthu sat with the matter for a long time, looking for the underlying cause. Leadership begins with a quiet pause to find the root, not a fast response from the surface.
Reflection Questions
- Where am I producing fast responses when an unhurried search for root cause would serve better?
- What problem in my life would benefit from a literal hour of contemplation before action?
My note
Source: vedabase.io