Shloka 17

Devanagari script

पौरजानपदैश्वैव मन्त्रिवृद्धैश्व पार्थिव । प्रविवेश कुरुश्रेष्ठ: पुरं वारणसाह्वयम्‌

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

paurajānapadaiś caiva mantrivṛddhaiś ca pārthiva |

praviveśa kuruśreṣṭhaḥ puraṃ vāraṇasāhvayam ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: „O König, begleitet von den Bürgern und den Menschen aus den umliegenden Bezirken sowie von den älteren Ministern, betrat der Beste der Kurus die Stadt, die Vāraṇasāhvaya (Hāstināpura) genannt wird.“

Word by Word

• पौर: by/with the townsmen
• पौर: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• जनपदैः: by/with the people of the countryside/districts
• जनपदैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनपद
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• एव: indeed/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• मन्त्रि: by/with ministers
• मन्त्रि: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्रिन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• वृद्धैः: by/with elders
• वृद्धैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृद्ध
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• पार्थिव: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• प्रविवेश: entered
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + विश्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular

• कुरुश्रेष्ठः: the best of the Kurus
• कुरुश्रेष्ठः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुश्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुरम्: city
• पुरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वारणसाह्वयम्: named Vāraṇa (i.e., Hastināpura)
• वारणसाह्वयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वारणसाह्वय
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Kuruśreṣṭha (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Vāraṇasāhvaya (Hastināpura)
• citizens (paura)
• people of the districts (jānapada)
• elder ministers (mantrivṛddha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king’s authority is strengthened by dharmic procedure: returning to rule with the community (citizens and districts) and guided by experienced ministers emphasizes accountable governance, social consent, and respect for established counsel.

What is happening in the narrative?

The foremost Kuru—understood as Yudhiṣṭhira—enters Hastināpura (here called Vāraṇasāhvaya) together with citizens, provincial people, and senior ministers, marking a formal, publicly witnessed entry that signals the re-establishment of royal administration.