Shloka 18

Devanagari script

वर्ष त्रयोदशमिदं मत्प्रसादात्‌ कुरूद्वहा: | विराटनगरे गूढा अविज्ञाताश्चरिष्यथ,“कुरुनन्दन पाण्डवगण! मेरी कृपासे तुमलोग तेरहवें वर्षमें गुप्तरूपसे विराटनगरमें रहते हुए किसीसे भी पहचाने न जाकर विचरण करोगे

Transliteration

varṣa trayodaśam idaṃ matprasādāt kurūdvaḥāḥ | virāṭanagare gūḍhā avijñātāś cariṣyatha ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Bester der Kurus, durch meine Gunst werdet ihr dieses dreizehnte Jahr in Verborgenheit verbringen — verborgen in der Stadt Virāṭa wohnen und umhergehen, ohne erkannt zu werden.“

Word by Word

वर्षyear (as a duration)

त्रयोदशम्thirteenth

इदम्this

मत्of me / my

प्रसादात्from (my) favor/grace

कुरूद्वहाःO best of the Kurus

विराटनगरेin the city of Virāṭa

गूढाःhidden, in disguise

अविज्ञाताःunrecognized

चरिष्यथyou will move about / live

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pāṇḍavas

Virāṭa-nagara (city of Virāṭa)

Kuru lineage (Kurus)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the dharmic value of disciplined restraint and strategic concealment: success in a righteous goal may require patience, secrecy, and reliance on earned grace rather than open force.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker foretells/assures that the Pāṇḍavas will complete their required thirteenth year of exile in anonymity, residing in Virāṭa’s city without being recognized.