Shloka 8

याज्ञसेनी-प्रश्नः

Draupadī’s Question in the Assembly

Devanagari script

अन्धका यादवा भोजा: समेता: कंसमत्यजन्‌ । नियोगात्‌ तु हते तस्मिन्‌ कृष्णेनामित्रघातिना,अन्धकों, यादवों और भोजोंने मिलकर कंसको त्याग दिया तथा उन्हींके आदेशसे शत्रुघाती श्रीकृष्णने उसको मार डाला

Transliteration

andhakā yādavā bhojāḥ sametāḥ kaṁsam atyajan | niyogāt tu hate tasmin kṛṣṇenāmitraghātinā ||

Translation

Vidura erinnert daran, dass Andhakas, Yādavas und Bhojas gemeinsam Kaṁsa verwarfen; und dass daraufhin, gemäß ihrem gemeinsamen Auftrag, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, der Feindbezwinger, Kaṁsa erschlug. Damit wird betont: Tyrannische Herrschaft wird von der Gemeinschaft aufgegeben, und Gewalt, wenn sie zur Beseitigung von Unterdrückung legitimiert ist, gilt als pflichtgemäße Tat und nicht als private Rache.

Word by Word

अन्धकाःthe Andhakas

यादवाःthe Yadavas

भोजाःthe Bhojas

समेताःassembled, having come together

कंसम्Kamsa

अत्यजन्abandoned, renounced

नियोगात्from/at the command (by order)

तुbut, indeed

हतेwhen (he was) slain / upon (his) being killed

तस्मिन्in him / in that (person)

कृष्णेनby Krishna

अमित्रघातिनाby the slayer of foes

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

Andhakas

Yādavas

Bhojas

Kaṁsa

Kṛṣṇa

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 frames the removal of a tyrant as a dharmic, community-sanctioned act: when a ruler becomes intolerable, the people may withdraw allegiance, and authorized action to end oppression is distinguished from personal revenge.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura cites an example from Kṛṣṇa’s earlier life: the Andhakas, Yādavas, and Bhojas unite, abandon Kaṁsa, and—acting under their mandate—Kṛṣṇa kills Kaṁsa.