Shloka 11

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization

Devanagari script

गृद्धों राजा धृतराष्ट्र: स्वधर्म नानुपश्यति । वश्यत्वात्‌ पुत्रगृद्धित्वान्मन्दस्यान्वेति शासनम्‌

Transliteration

gṛddho rājā dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ svadharma nānupaśyati | vaśyatvāt putragṛddhitvān mandasyānveti śāsanam ||

Translation

قال يودهيشثيرا: «إنّ الملك دريتاراشترا، وقد غمره الطمع، لم يعد يُبصر دارماه. وقد استُعبد بتعلّقه بأبنائه، ولدوامه تحت سلطانهم، صار لا يفعل إلا أن يتّبع أمر ابنه الأحمق دوريودانا.»

Word by Word

• {'gṛddhaḥ': 'greedy

• consumed by desire', 'rājā': 'king', 'dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ': 'Dhṛtarāṣṭra (the Kuru king, father of the Kauravas)', 'svadharma': 'one’s own duty/righteous conduct appropriate to one’s role', 'na anupaśyati (nānupaśyati)': 'does not see/recognize

• fails to discern', 'vaśyatvāt': 'because of being under control

• due to subservience', 'putragṛddhitvāt': 'because of greed/over-attachment for (his) sons', 'mandasya': 'of the dull-witted/foolish one', 'ānveti': 'follows

• complies with', 'śāsanam': 'command

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Duryodhana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler who becomes captive to greed and attachment—especially attachment to family—loses discernment of svadharma and ends up governed by unworthy counsel, leading to ethical and political collapse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira criticizes Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s failure to act as an impartial king: out of attachment to his sons, he submits to Duryodhana’s will instead of upholding dharma and restraining wrongdoing.