Shloka 9

धृतराष्ट्रस्य स्पर्शाभिलाषः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Request for Touch and Permission for Tapas

Devanagari script

तथा चारबलं चैव परस्परसमं नृप । विज्ञेयं बहुकालेषु राज्ञा काल उपस्थिते,नरेश्वरर चारबल (दूतोंका बल) भी परस्पर समान ही है। राजाको समय आनेपर अधिक अवसरोंपर इस तत्त्वको समझे रहना चाहिये

Transliteration

tathā cārabalaṃ caiva parasparasamaṃ nṛpa | vijñeyaṃ bahukāleṣu rājñā kāla upasthite ||

Translation

قال دِهْرِتَرَاشْتْرَا: «وكذلك أيها الملك، فإن قوة الرسل متكافئة بين الجانبين. لذلك ينبغي للحاكم، حين تحين ساعة الحسم، أن يستحضر هذا المبدأ في مواضع كثيرة—عارفًا أن سلطان الدبلوماسية يقوم على التكافؤ والحذر وحسن التمييز في الوقت المناسب، لا على القوة المجردة وحدها».

Word by Word

तथाthus, likewise

चारबलम्the force/strength of spies (intelligence agents)

चand

एवindeed, just

परस्परसमम्mutually equal

नृपO king

विज्ञेयम्is to be known/understood

बहुकालेषुon many occasions / at many times

राज्ञाby the king

कालेwhen the time (moment) comes

उपस्थितेhaving arrived / being present

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should understand that diplomatic and intelligence strength (cārabala) tends to be balanced between rivals; therefore success depends on timely judgment, restraint, and wise use of counsel rather than assuming unilateral advantage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra is offering a reflective counsel on governance: he emphasizes the practical reality of parity in diplomatic resources and urges the king to remember this when critical decisions and turning points arise.