Shloka 10

धृतराष्ट्रस्य स्पर्शाभिलाषः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Request for Touch and Permission for Tapas

Devanagari script

आपददश्चापि बोद्धव्या बहुरूपा नराधिप | भवन्ति राज्ञा कौरव्य यास्ता: पृथगत: शूणु

Transliteration

āpadaś cāpi boddhavyā bahurūpā narādhipa | bhavanti rājñā kauravya yās tāḥ pṛthagataḥ śṛṇu mahārāja kurunandana ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „O König, auch die Heimsuchungen muss man erkennen, denn sie treten in vielerlei Gestalt auf. O Kauravya, solche Widerfahrnisse treffen einen Herrscher; darum, o großer König, Freude der Kurus, höre zu, wie ich sie eine nach der anderen darlege.“

Word by Word

• आपदः: calamities, misfortunes
• आपदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आपद् (स्त्री.)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

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

• अपि: also, even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• बोद्धव्याः: to be known, should be understood
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बुध् (धातु) → बोद्धव्य (कर्तव्य/भाव्य कृदन्त)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• बहुरूपाः: of many forms, manifold
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहुरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• नराधिप: O lord of men (king)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नराधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• भवन्ति: are, occur, come to be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• राज्ञः: of the king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• कौरव्य: O Kaurava
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौरव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• याः: which (fem. pl.)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• ताः: those (fem. pl.)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• पृथक्: separately
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक्

• शृणु: hear, listen
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कुरुनन्दन: O delight of the Kurus
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुनन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Kauravya (a Kuru descendant, addressee)
• Kurunandana (epithet of the addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler must deliberately study and recognize the many kinds of ‘āpada’ (crises). Ethical governance includes preparedness: understanding dangers in distinct categories so that one can respond with discernment rather than panic.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses a Kuru king/prince and introduces a structured discourse: he is about to enumerate, one by one, the various adversities that can befall a king, setting up a didactic section on royal conduct under crisis.