Shloka 2

याज्ञसेनी-प्रश्नः

Draupadī’s Question in the Assembly

Devanagari script

विदुर उवाच महाराज विजानीहि यतृ्‌ त्वां वक्ष्यामि भारत । मुमूर्षोरौषधमिव न रोचेतापि ते श्रुतम्‌

Transliteration

vidura uvāca mahārāja vijānīhi yat tvāṁ vakṣyāmi bhārata | mumūrṣor auṣadham iva na rocetāpi te śrutam ||

Translation

Vidura said: “O great king, O Bharata, understand well what I am about to tell you. Even if my words, though heard by you, do not please you—just as medicine does not seem agreeable to one who is near death—still listen and grasp them.”

Word by Word

• {'vidura uvāca': 'Vidura said', 'mahārāja': 'O great king', 'vijānīhi': 'know, understand clearly (imperative)', 'yat': 'that which', 'tvām': 'to you', 'vakṣyāmi': 'I will speak, I will tell', 'bhārata': 'O descendant of Bharata (address to the king)', 'mumūrṣoḥ': 'of one who is about to die

• one near death', 'auṣadham': 'medicine, remedy', 'iva': 'like, as', 'na': 'not', 'roceta': 'would be pleasing/agreeable', 'api': 'even, although', 'te': 'to you/your', 'śrutam': 'heard

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address 'mahārāja')
• Bharata lineage

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Truthful, dharma-based counsel may feel unpleasant to a ruler blinded by attachment or impending ruin; nevertheless, it must be heard and understood, like bitter medicine that alone can cure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura begins a serious admonition to the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), warning that his forthcoming advice may not be pleasing, yet urging him to listen carefully because the situation is morally and politically dangerous.