Shloka 36

धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas

Devanagari script

राजा गुरु: प्राणभृतां तस्मादेतद्‌ ब्रवीम्यहम्‌ । अनुज्ञातस्त्वया वीर संश्रयेयं वनान्यहम्‌,“तुम शस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ और सदा धर्मपर अनुराग रखनेवाले हो। राजा समस्त प्राणियोंके लिये गुरुजनकी भाँति आदरणीय होता है। इसलिये तुमसे ऐसा अनुरोध करता हूँ। वीर! तुम्हारी अनुमति मिल जानेपर मैं वनको चला जाऊँगा

Transliteration

rājā guruḥ prāṇabhṛtāṁ tasmād etad bravīmy aham | anujñātas tvayā vīra saṁśrayeyaṁ vanāny aham ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „Ein König ist für alle Lebewesen wie ein ehrwürdiger Lehrer; darum trage ich diese Bitte vor. O Held, sobald du mir die Erlaubnis gibst, werde ich in den Wäldern Zuflucht suchen.“

Word by Word

• {'rājā': 'king', 'guruḥ': 'teacher

• one worthy of reverence', 'prāṇabhṛtām': 'of living beings (lit. ‘bearers of life’)', 'tasmāt': 'therefore

• for that reason', 'etat': 'this (request/statement)', 'bravīmi': 'I say

• I declare', 'aham': 'I', 'anujñātaḥ': 'permitted

• granted leave', 'tvayā': 'by you', 'vīra': 'hero

• valiant one (vocative)', 'saṁśrayeyam': 'I would resort to

• I would take refuge in', 'vanāni': 'forests', 'aham (repeated)': 'I (emphatic repetition)'}

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• king (rājā)
• forests (vanāni)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames kingship as a moral guardianship: the king is ‘guru-like’ for all beings, and thus must act with humility and ethical responsibility. It also highlights the dharmic importance of seeking consent and transitioning toward renunciation (forest life) at the appropriate stage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses a valiant interlocutor (vīra) and formally requests permission to withdraw from courtly life and depart for the forest, signaling a move toward ascetic retirement after the catastrophic events of the Kuru conflict.