Shloka 11

धृतराष्ट्रस्य सत्कारः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Honored in the Post-war Court

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठटिरो महाराज धृतराष्ट्रे5भ्युपाहरत्‌ । तथैव कुन्ती गान्धार्या गुरुवृत्तिमवर्तत

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Yudhiṣṭhiro mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭre 'bhyupāharat; tathaiva Kuntī Gāndhāryā guru-vṛttim avartata, mahārāja.

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: King Yudhiṣṭhira regularly presented offerings to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. In the same way, Kuntī too continued the proper conduct due to elders, serving Gāndhārī with the respect owed to a revered senior. The passage underscores steadfast dharma after the war: the victors do not abandon the defeated elders, but sustain them with honor, service, and material support.

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महाराजः: the great king
• महाराजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धृतराष्ट्रे: to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• धृतराष्ट्रे: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृतराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• अभ्युपाहरत्: offered / presented
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-उप-आ-√हृ
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तथा: thus / likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• एव: indeed / just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• कुन्ती: Kuntī
• कुन्ती: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुन्ती
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• गान्धार्याः: of Gāndhārī
• Type: Noun
• Root: गान्धारी
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Singular

• गुरुवृत्तिम्: service/duty toward elders (esp. mother-in-law/teachers)
• गुरुवृत्तिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरुवृत्ति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• अवर्तत: conducted herself / behaved / attended
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृत्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Ātmanepada

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Kuntī
• Gāndhārī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even after victory and immense loss, dharma requires honoring and supporting elders and former adversaries within the family. Yudhiṣṭhira’s gifts to Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Kuntī’s service to Gāndhārī exemplify restraint, gratitude, and reverence rather than triumphalism.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the Pāṇḍava household’s conduct after the war: Yudhiṣṭhira provides offerings and support to the blind elder Dhṛtarāṣṭra, while Kuntī attends upon Gāndhārī with the deference due to a senior woman of the family.