Shloka 11

धृतराष्ट्रस्य स्पर्शाभिलाषः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Request for Touch and Permission for Tapas

Devanagari script

विकल्पा बहुधा राजन्नापदां पाण्डुनन्दन । सामादिभिरुपन्यस्य गणयेत्‌ तान्‌ नृप: सदा,राजन! पाण्डुनन्दन! उन आपत्तियोंके अनेक प्रकारके विकल्प हैं। राजा साम आदि उपायोंद्वारा उन सबको सामने लाकर सदा गिने

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | vikalpā bahudhā rājann āpadāṃ pāṇḍunandana | sāmādibhir upanyasya gaṇayet tān nṛpaḥ sadā ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “O king, O delight of the Pāṇḍus, calamities admit of many alternative courses. A ruler should continually bring those possibilities before his mind—by conciliation and the other statecraft measures—and keep them carefully reckoned.”

Word by Word

विकल्पाःalternatives, options

बहुधाin many ways

राजन्O king

आपदाम्of calamities/dangers

पाण्डुनन्दनO son of Pandu

सामादिभिःby conciliation etc. (means such as sāma, dāna, bheda, daṇḍa)

उपन्यस्यhaving set forth, having presented

गणयेत्should count/consider

तान्those (options/means)

नृपःthe king

सदाalways

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Pāṇḍunandana (Pāṇḍava, likely Yudhiṣṭhira)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should not face crises impulsively; he must enumerate and evaluate multiple options, applying the recognized tools of governance—starting with conciliation and extending to other measures—so that action remains deliberate and ethically accountable.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses a Pāṇḍava king (Pāṇḍunandana), offering counsel on kingship: in times of danger, the king should systematically consider various alternatives and employ the standard political expedients (sāma and others) with constant vigilance.