Shloka 12

सभा-पर्व, अध्याय ६१ — द्रौपदी-प्रश्नः, सभाधर्मः, सत्यवचन-नियमः

Devanagari script

युधिछिर उवाच एतावन्ति च दासानां सहस्राण्युत सन्ति मे । प्रदक्षिणानुलोमाश्न प्रावारवसना: सदा,युधिष्ठिरने कहा--दासियोंकी तरह ही मेरे यहाँ एक लाख दास हैं। वे कार्यकुशल तथा अनुकूल रहनेवाले हैं। उनके शरीरपर सदा सुन्दर उत्तरीय वस्त्र सुशोभित होते हैं

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | etāvanti ca dāsānāṃ sahasrāṇy uta santi me | pradakṣiṇānulomāś ca prāvāravasanāḥ sadā ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Ebenso sind in meinem Haushalt viele Tausende männlicher Diener. Sie sind tüchtig in ihren Pflichten und gefügig im Verhalten und stets mit feinen Obergewändern geschmückt.“

Word by Word

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

उवाचsaid

एतावन्तिso many, this many

चand

दासानाम्of slaves/servants

सहस्राणिthousands

उतalso, moreover

सन्तिare, exist

मेof me, my

प्रदक्षिणाःrightward/clockwise; compliant, well-disposed

अनुलोमाःfavorable, agreeable, in due order

अस्नuncertain reading; possibly a descriptor (text corrupt/variant)

प्रावार-वसनाःwearing upper garments/cloaks

सदाalways

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

dāsa (male servants)

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 a king’s responsibility to maintain an orderly, well-managed household and court, where service is organized, skilled, and conducted in a manner considered proper and auspicious—an aspect of rājadharma (the duties of rulership).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the context of the Sabha Parva’s courtly descriptions, Yudhiṣṭhira is enumerating the scale and refinement of his establishment, mentioning the large number of male servants and their disciplined, well-appointed appearance.