Shloka 18

Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 58 — Saṃjaya’s Audience and Kṛṣṇa’s Deterrent Counsel (संजय-प्रवेशः कृष्णवाक्यं च)

Devanagari script

वायुदेव उवाच संजयेदं वचो ब्रूया धृतराष्ट्र मनीषिणम्‌ | कुरुमुख्यस्य भीष्मस्य द्रोणस्यापि च शृण्वतः

Transliteration

vāyudeva uvāca | sañjaya idaṃ vaco brūyā dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ manīṣiṇam | kurumukhyasya bhīṣmasya droṇasyāpi ca śṛṇvataḥ |

Translation

Vāyudeva sprach: „Sañjaya, überbringe diese Worte dem weisen König Dhṛtarāṣṭra; tue es zu einer Zeit, da Bhīṣma, der Vornehmste der Kurus, und auch Droṇa zuhören.“

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'वायुदेव (vāyudeva)', 'definition': 'the Wind-god

• here, the speaker'}, {'term': 'उवाच (uvāca)', 'definition': 'said

• spoke'}, {'term': 'संजय (sañjaya)', 'definition': 'Sañjaya, Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s charioteer and narrator'}, {'term': 'इदम् (idam)', 'definition': 'this (message/statement)'}, {'term': 'वचः (vacaḥ)', 'definition': 'speech

• message'}, {'term': 'ब्रूयाः (brūyāḥ)', 'definition': 'you should say/tell (optative: injunction/advice)'}, {'term': 'धृतराष्ट्रम् (dhṛtarāṣṭram)', 'definition': 'Dhṛtarāṣṭra (accusative: the one addressed)'}, {'term': 'मनीषिणम् (manīṣiṇam)', 'definition': 'wise

• discerning'}, {'term': 'कुरुमुख्यस्य (kurumukhyasya)', 'definition': 'of the foremost among the Kurus'}, {'term': 'भीष्मस्य (bhīṣmasya)', 'definition': 'of Bhīṣma'}, {'term': 'द्रोणस्य (droṇasya)', 'definition': 'of Droṇa'}, {'term': 'अपि च (api ca)', 'definition': 'and also'}, {'term': 'शृण्वतः (śṛṇvataḥ)', 'definition': 'while listening

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वायुदेव (Vāyudeva)
• संजय (Sañjaya)
• धृतराष्ट्र (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• भीष्म (Bhīṣma)
• द्रोण (Droṇa)
• कुरु (Kuru lineage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Advice to a ruler should be delivered with transparency and in the presence of authoritative elders (Bhīṣma and Droṇa), so that ethical counsel gains weight, the king is morally checked, and responsibility is witnessed rather than hidden.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva instructs Sañjaya to communicate a specific message to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, specifying that it should be said when Bhīṣma and Droṇa are also present and listening—framing the message as formal counsel before key Kuru authorities.