Shloka 31

धृतराष्ट्रस्य वंशोपदेशः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Dynastic Counsel on Legitimate Rule

Devanagari script

राज्ये स्थितो धृतराष्ट्रो मनीषी तस्यानुजो विदुरो दीर्घदर्शी । एतावतिक्रम्य कथं नृपत्वं दुर्योधन प्रार्थयसे5द्य मोहात्‌,“इस राज्यपर अधिकारीके रूपमें परम बुद्धिमान्‌ धृतराष्ट्र और उनके छोटे भाई दूरदर्शी विदुर स्थापित किये गये थे। दुर्योधन! इन दोनोंका उल्लंघन करके तू आज मोहवश अपना प्रभुत्व कैसे जमाना चाहता है

Transliteration

rājye sthito dhṛtarāṣṭro manīṣī tasyānujo viduro dīrghadarśī | etāvatikramya kathaṁ nṛpatvaṁ duryodhana prārthayase ’dya mohāt ||

Translation

قال فيدورا: «في هذه المملكة أُقيم دِهْرِتَرَاشْتْرَةُ الحكيمُ على وجهٍ مشروع، ويقف إلى جانبه أخوه الأصغر فيدورا، بعيدُ النظر في المشورة. يا دوريودانا، كيف لك اليوم، بدافع الوهم، أن تطلب اغتصاب السلطان الملكي متجاوزًا هذين الحارسين الشرعيين للبلاد؟»

Word by Word

• {'rājye': 'in the kingdom, in the realm', 'sthitaḥ': 'established, set in place, duly installed', 'dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ': 'Dhṛtarāṣṭra (the Kuru king)', 'manīṣī': 'wise, discerning, thoughtful', 'tasya': 'of him, his', 'anujaḥ': 'younger brother', 'viduraḥ': 'Vidura (minister and moral counselor)', 'dīrghadarśī': 'far-sighted, one who sees long-term consequences', 'etāvat': 'to this extent

• in this manner', 'atikramya': 'overstepping, transgressing, bypassing', 'katham': 'how?', 'nṛpatvam': 'kingship, royal authority, sovereignty', 'duryodhana': 'Duryodhana (eldest Kaurava prince)', 'prārthayase': 'you desire, seek, demand', 'adya': 'today, now', 'mohāt': 'from delusion, out of infatuation/confusion'}

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Vidura
• Duryodhana
• rājya (the kingdom/realm)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Legitimate authority and governance must follow dharma and established order; ambition driven by moha (delusion) that overrides rightful counsel and lawful guardianship leads to adharma and ruin.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura rebukes Duryodhana for trying to assert sovereign control in the kingdom despite Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s established kingship and Vidura’s role as far-sighted counselor, warning that Duryodhana’s demand for power is born of delusion and transgression.