Shloka 4

धृतराष्ट्रपुत्रनामावलिः (Roster of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Children) / Names of the Kauravas in Order

Devanagari script

धर्मराज और अणीमाण्डव्य अणीमाण्डव्य ऋषि शूलीपर राजोवाच यन्मयापकृतं मोहादज्ञानादृषिसत्तम | प्रसादये त्वां तत्राहं न मे त्वं क्रोद्धुमहसि,राजाने कहा--मुनिवर! मैंने मोह अथवा अज्ञानवश जो अपराध किया है, उसके लिये आप मुझपर क्रोध न करें। मैं आपसे प्रसन्न होनेके लिये प्रार्थना करता हूँ

Transliteration

rājovāca | yan mayāpakṛtaṃ mohād ajñānād ṛṣisattama | prasādaye tvāṃ tatrāhaṃ na me tvaṃ krodhum arhasi ||

Translation

Der König sprach: „O Bester der Weisen, welches Unrecht ich auch begangen habe—aus Verblendung oder aus Unwissenheit—hier suche ich dich dafür zu besänftigen. Du sollst nicht zornig auf mich sein.“

Word by Word

• {'rājā uvāca': 'the king said', 'yat': 'whatever

• that which', 'mayā': 'by me', 'apakṛtam': 'wrong done

• harm', 'mohāt': 'from delusion

• due to bewilderment', 'ajñānāt': 'from ignorance

• due to lack of knowledge', 'ṛṣi-sattama': 'best among sages', 'prasādaye': 'I seek to appease

• I entreat for favor', 'tvām': 'you', 'tatra': 'therein

• for that', 'aham': 'I', 'na': 'not', 'me': 'toward me

• of me', 'tvam': 'you', 'krodhum': 'to be angry', 'arhasi': 'you ought

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Rājā (the king)
• Ṛṣisattama (the sage addressed, i.e., Aṇīmāṇḍavya in context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a ruler must acknowledge wrongdoing and seek reconciliation. The verse frames ethical responsibility in terms of admitting fault (apakṛta), recognizing its roots in delusion/ignorance (moha, ajñāna), and actively requesting the offended sage’s grace rather than asserting power.

What is happening in the narrative?

A king addresses a revered sage and confesses that he has committed an offense unintentionally, driven by delusion or ignorance. He asks the sage to be appeased and not to remain angry, reflecting the tension between royal authority and ascetic moral authority in the episode.