Shloka 23

जयद्रथविमोचन–पलायनवृत्तान्तः

Recovery of Draupadī and Jayadratha’s flight

Devanagari script

तमागतं महेष्वासं धार्तराष्ट्री जनाधिप: । प्रत्युदूग्म्य महाराज सभ्रातृपितृबान्धव:

Transliteration

tam āgataṁ maheṣvāsaṁ dhārtarāṣṭrī janādhipaḥ | pratyudūgmya mahārāja sabhrātṛpitṛbāndhavaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Als jener mächtige Bogenschütze eintraf, ging der dhārtarāṣṭrische König—o großer Herrscher—ihm entgegen, begleitet von seinen Brüdern, den Ältesten wie Vätern und den Verwandten.

Word by Word

तम्him

आगतम्arrived, come

महेष्वासम्great archer

धार्तराष्ट्रीson of Dhṛtarāṣṭra

जनाधिपःking, lord of people

प्रत्युदूग्म्यhaving gone forth to meet

महाराजO great king

सhe

भ्रातृwith (his) brother

पितृwith (his) father

बान्धवैःwith kinsmen/relatives

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhārtarāṣṭra king (Kuru ruler of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s line)

the mighty archer (maheṣvāsa, unnamed in this verse)

brothers

elders (pitṛ)

kinsmen (bāndhava)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights kṣatriya etiquette and political prudence: a ruler should honor a powerful arrival publicly and appropriately, supported by his family and elders, thereby affirming respect, unity, and strategic awareness.

What is happening in the narrative?

An eminent archer arrives, and the Dhārtarāṣṭra king goes out to meet him formally, accompanied by his brothers, elder figures, and relatives—signaling a significant reception with social and political implications.