Shloka 7

विदुरस्य कृष्णं प्रति शमोपदेशः

Vidura’s Counsel to Krishna on the Limits of Peace

Devanagari script

समेत्य धार्तराष्ट्रेण सहामात्येन केशव:

Transliteration

sametya dhārtarāṣṭreṇa sahāmātyena keśavaḥ

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Keśava (Kṛṣṇa) kam mit Dhṛtarāṣṭra und dessen Ministern zusammen und (ging daran, die anstehende Sache zu erörtern). Die Zeile kündigt eine formelle Beratung auf Staatsebene an, in der Rat und Verantwortung geteilt werden—ein ethischer Augenblick, in dem weise Führung den Konflikt zügeln und den Dharma wahren soll.

Word by Word

• समेत्य: having met / after meeting
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + इ (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप् (क्त्वान्त/absolutive), कर्तरि

• धार्तराष्ट्रेण: with Dhṛtarāṣṭra (the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra / Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s line; here: Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• धार्तराष्ट्रेण: Saha (associative instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धार्तराष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• सह: together with
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)

• अमात्येन: with (his) minister/counsellor
• अमात्येन: Saha (associative instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमात्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• केशवः: Keśava (Kṛṣṇa)
• केशवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Keśava (Kṛṣṇa)
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Amātya (ministers/counsellors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma in governance requires consultation and responsible counsel: when rulers and advisors meet, the ethical expectation is to seek peace, restrain injustice, and choose actions that minimize harm, especially on the brink of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Kṛṣṇa (Keśava) is in a formal meeting with King Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the king’s ministers—setting the stage for counsel, negotiation, or a decisive discussion related to the impending Kuru conflict.