Shloka 11

Devanagari script

बहुश्रुतः कृतात्मा च वृद्धसेवी जितेन्द्रिय: । त॑ सर्वगुणसम्पन्न॑ं समिद्धमिव पावकम्‌

Transliteration

bahuśrutaḥ kṛtātmā ca vṛddhasevī jitendriyaḥ | taṁ sarvaguṇasampannaṁ samiddham iva pāvakam ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „Er ist weithin gelehrt, selbstbezähmt, dem Dienst an den Ältesten ergeben und Herr seiner Sinne—mit allen Tugenden ausgestattet, lodernd wie ein wohl entfachtes Feuer.“

Word by Word

बहुश्रुतःwell-read, much-heard (learned)

कृतात्माself-controlled, disciplined

चand

वृद्धसेवीone who serves elders

जितेन्द्रियःone who has conquered the senses

सःhe

सर्वगुणसम्पन्नम्endowed with all virtues

समिद्धम्kindled, blazing

इवlike, as

पावकम्fire

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

fire (pāvaka)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse praises an ideal noble character: learning must be joined with inner discipline, service to elders, and mastery of the senses; such integrated virtue shines outward, compared to a blazing, purifying fire.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes (and commends) a person of exemplary qualities, using a vivid simile—like a well-kindled fire—to emphasize the visible power of virtue and self-control in a leader or counselor.