Shloka 7

Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 146 — Brāhmaṇī’s counsel on grief, duty, and protection of children

Devanagari script

नगराधिकृतानां च गृहाणि रथिनां तदा । उपतस्थुर्नरश्रेष्ठा वैश्यशूद्रगृहाण्यपि,तत्पश्चात्‌ वे नरश्रेष्ठ कुन्तीकुमार नगरके अधिकारी क्षत्रियोंके यहाँ गये। इसी प्रकार वे क्रमश: वैश्यों और शूद्रोंके घरोंपर भी उपस्थित हुए

Transliteration

nagarādhikṛtānāṃ ca gṛhāṇi rathināṃ tadā | upatasthur naraśreṣṭhā vaiśyaśūdragṛhāṇy api ||

Translation

Dann begaben sich jene, die Vorzüglichsten unter den Menschen, zu den Häusern der Stadtbeamten und der Wagenkrieger und erwiesen ihnen ihre Aufwartung. Danach — o Bester der Männer — gingen die Söhne der Kuntī der rechten Ordnung gemäß auch zu den Häusern der Vaiśya und sogar der Śūdra.

Word by Word

नगराधिकृतानाम्of the city-officials

चand

गृहाणिhouses

रथिनाम्of the chariot-warriors

तदाthen

उपतस्थुःthey approached/attended

नरश्रेष्ठाःthe best of men

वैश्यशूद्रगृहाणिthe houses of Vaishyas and Shudras

अपिalso/even

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Kuntīkumāra (sons of Kuntī)

nagara (the city)

nagarādhikṛta (city officials)

rathin (chariot-warriors)

Vaiśya

Śūdra

gṛha (houses)

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?

The verse highlights orderly and inclusive public conduct: the Kuntī’s sons (or the eminent men in the scene) approach not only officials and warriors but also Vaiśya and Śūdra households, implying engagement with the entire civic community and respect for social breadth in public dealings.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that the leading men first go to the houses of city authorities and chariot-warriors, and then proceed in sequence to the homes of Vaiśyas and Śūdras as well—depicting a systematic round of visits/attendance across different sections of the city.