Shloka 4

Vidura’s Message to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Authorization for Dāna and Public Welfare (विदुरवाक्यम्—दानानुज्ञा)

Devanagari script

तत्र धर्म्या: कथास्तात चक्रुस्ते परमर्षय: । रमयन्तो महात्मानं धृतराष्ट्र जनाधिपम्‌

Transliteration

tatra dharmyāḥ kathās tāta cakrus te paramarṣayaḥ | ramayanto mahātmānaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ janādhipam ||

Translation

There, O dear one, those supreme sages engaged in righteous discourse, delighting the noble king Dhṛtarāṣṭra and bringing him solace through conversations grounded in dharma.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र
• Form: indeclinable (locative adverb)

• धर्म्याः: righteous
• धर्म्याः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म्य
• Form: feminine, nominative plural

• कथाः: stories, talks
• कथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा
• Form: feminine, nominative plural

• तात: O dear (sir/son)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात
• Form: masculine, vocative singular

• चक्रुः: they did / they held (made)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: perfect, 3rd person plural

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine, nominative plural

• परमर्षयः: the great sages
• परमर्षयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: परमर्षि
• Form: masculine, nominative plural

• रमयन्तः: delighting, pleasing
• रमयन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: रमयत्
• Form: present active participle, masculine nominative plural

• महात्मानम्: the great-souled one
• महात्मानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: masculine, accusative singular

• धृतराष्ट्र: Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• धृतराष्ट्र: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृतराष्ट्र
• Form: masculine, accusative singular (as a proper name; optionally read as vocative in some recensions)

• जनाधिपम्: the lord of people (king)
• जनाधिपम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनाधिप
• Form: masculine, accusative singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• paramarṣayaḥ (supreme sages)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Righteous conversation (dharmya-kathā) in the company of sages is presented as a means of steadying the mind and restoring moral clarity—especially for a ruler burdened by grief and past actions.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the hermitage setting of the Āśramavāsika episode, eminent sages speak on dharma and related themes, intentionally comforting and uplifting King Dhṛtarāṣṭra through their discourse.