Shloka 23

Droṇa–Vidura–Gāndhārī Counsel in the Royal Assembly (धर्मार्थयुक्ता सभा-उपदेश-प्रकरणम्)

Devanagari script

तस्यां जज्ञे महाबाहु: श्रीमान्‌ कुरुकुलोद्वह: । विचित्रवीर्यो धर्मात्मा कनीयान्‌ मम पार्थिव

Transliteration

tasyāṃ jajñe mahābāhuḥ śrīmān kurukulodvahaḥ | vicitravīryo dharmātmā kanīyān mama pārthiva | tasyāhaṃ sadṛśān dārān rājendra samupāharam | jitvā pārthivasaṅghātam api te bahuśaḥ śrutam ||

Translation

„In ihr wurde der mächtigarmige, ruhmreiche Träger des Kuru-Geschlechts geboren: der dharmagesinnte Vichitravīrya, mein jüngerer Bruder, o König. Für ihn, Herr der Könige, brachte ich passende Gemahlinnen, nachdem ich eine Schar von Herrschern besiegt hatte – eine Begebenheit, die auch du schon oft vernommen hast.“

Word by Word

• {'tasyām': 'in her

• in that woman (locative feminine singular)', 'jajñe': 'was born (perfect of √jan)', 'mahābāhuḥ': 'mighty-armed

• a heroic epithet', 'śrīmān': 'splendid, illustrious, endowed with prosperity', 'kurukulodvahaḥ': 'the upholder/ornament of the Kuru lineage', 'vicitravīryaḥ': 'Vicitravīrya (proper name

• lit. ‘of wondrous valor’)', 'dharmātmā': 'righteous-souled

• devoted to dharma', 'kanīyān': 'the younger (one)', 'mama': 'of me

• my', 'pārthiva': 'O king

• ruler of the earth (vocative)', 'tasya': 'for him

• of him', 'aham': 'I', 'sadṛśān': 'suitable, fitting, well-matched', 'dārān': 'wives (lit. ‘spouses’

• accusative plural)', 'rājendra': 'O best of kings', 'samupāharam': 'I brought/procured (for him)', 'jitvā': 'having conquered', 'pārthiva-saṅghātam': 'a mass/assemblage of kings', 'api': 'also, indeed', 'te': 'to you

• by you', 'bahuśaḥ': 'many times, repeatedly', 'śrutam': 'heard'}

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (speaker)
• Vicitravīrya
• Kuru lineage (Kurukula)
• kings/rulers (pārthivāḥ)
• wives/spouses (dārāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames royal action—securing marriages and overcoming rival kings—within the language of dharma and lineage-duty: a Kuru prince is praised as dharmātmā, and political consolidation (marriage alliances) is presented as a legitimate kṣatriya responsibility when pursued for dynastic stability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva recounts that Vicitravīrya, the younger Kuru prince, was born to a particular woman, and that the speaker later procured fitting wives for him by defeating an assembly of kings—an episode said to be well-known to the listener.