Shloka 18

Devanagari script

सहदेव: प्रियस्तस्या: पुत्रेभ्योईधिक एव तु

Transliteration

Sahadevaḥ priyastasyāḥ putrebhyo ’dhika eva tu.

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sagte: „Sahadeva war ihr lieb — ja, sogar mehr als ihre eigenen Söhne.“ Im ethischen Rahmen der Āśramavāsika-Erzählung betont diese Zeile, dass Zuneigung und Vertrauen die Bande des Blutes übersteigen können und die stille Kraft von Charakter und Dienst sichtbar wird, die Beziehungen inmitten von Trauer und Entsagung trägt.

Word by Word

सहदेवःSahadeva

प्रियःdear, beloved

तस्याःof her

पुत्रेभ्यःto/for (her) sons

अधिकःmore, greater (than)

एवindeed, just

तुbut, however

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sahadeva

Yudhiṣṭhira

tasyāḥ (an unnamed woman referenced in context)

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?

Affection and esteem are earned through conduct and devoted service; moral character can create bonds stronger than those formed by birth alone.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira remarks on the special regard someone (referred to as “she”) had for Sahadeva, stating that her fondness for him exceeded even her affection for her own sons.