Shloka 44

धृतराष्ट्र-सत्कारः तथा श्राद्ध-दाने नियमनम् | Honoring Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Regulating Śrāddha-Gifts

Devanagari script

विपरीतकश्न मे शत्रुर्नियम्यश्न भवेन्नर: । राजा युधिष्ठिर बड़े दयालु थे। वे सदा प्रसन्न रहकर अपने भाइयों और मन्त्रियोंसे कहा करते थे कि “ये राजा धृतराष्ट्र मेरे और आपलोगोंके माननीय हैं। जो इनकी आज्ञाके अधीन रहता है

Transliteration

viparīta-kṛcchraṁ me śatrur niyamyaś ca bhaven naraḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “A man who acts in opposition (to my command and to what is proper) is my enemy; but one who restrains himself and lives under discipline is truly a man (worthy of regard).” In this context, King Yudhiṣṭhira—known for compassion—repeatedly told his brothers and ministers that Dhṛtarāṣṭra was to be honored as an elder; whoever remained obedient to his directives was Yudhiṣṭhira’s well-wisher, while one who behaved contrary would be treated as an enemy and become liable to punishment.

Word by Word

• {'viparīta': 'contrary, opposite, acting against what is proper/commanded', 'kṛcchram': 'hardship

• (by sense) trouble, distress, difficulty', 'me': 'of me, my', 'śatruḥ': 'enemy', 'niyamya': 'having restrained (oneself)

• acting with self-discipline', 'ca': 'and', 'bhavet': 'would be, becomes', 'naraḥ': 'man

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• brothers of Yudhiṣṭhira (Pāṇḍavas)
• ministers

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames ethical governance as loyalty to rightful authority and self-restraint: honoring elders and following legitimate directives is treated as friendship and dharma, while willful contrariness is treated as enmity and becomes punishable under royal discipline (daṇḍa).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports Yudhiṣṭhira’s stance after the war: he instructs his brothers and ministers to revere Dhṛtarāṣṭra as an elder and to remain under his orders; those who comply are considered allies, and those who act oppositely are regarded as enemies liable to punishment.