Shloka 29

Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)

Devanagari script

स च तैर्याचितो5स्थीनि यत्नादृषिवरस्तदा,कुरुश्रेष्ठ! देवताओंके द्वारा प्रयत्नपूर्वक अस्थियोंके लिये याचना की जानेपर मुनिवर दधीचने बिना कोई विचार किये अपने प्राणोंका परित्याग कर दिया। उस समय देवताओंका प्रिय करनेके कारण वे अक्षय लोकोंमें चले गये

Transliteration

sa ca tair yācito 'sthīni yatnād ṛṣivaras tadā, kuruśreṣṭha! devatābhiḥ prayatnapūrvakam asthīnāṃ yācanāyāṃ munivaras dadhīco vinā kaścid vicāraṃ kṛtvā svaprāṇān parityajya. tasmin kāle devatāpriyakaraṇāt te 'kṣayalokeṣu jagmuḥ.

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O best of the Kurus, when the gods earnestly begged the great sage for his bones, the eminent ascetic Dadhīci—without hesitation or calculation—gave up his very life. Because this act was done to please the gods, he attained the imperishable worlds.”

Word by Word

सःhe

चand

तैःby them (by the gods)

याचितःhaving been requested/entreated

अस्थीनिbones

यत्नात्with effort / carefully

ऋषिवरःthe best of sages

तदाthen

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dadhīci (Dadhīca)

Devatāḥ (the gods)

Akṣayalokāḥ (imperishable worlds)

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?

The verse highlights niṣkāma-tyāga—selfless relinquishment without hesitation—showing that a righteous act done for a higher purpose (here, aiding the gods) leads to enduring spiritual reward, symbolized by attaining imperishable worlds.

What is happening in the narrative?

The gods request the sage Dadhīci’s bones with great effort; he immediately relinquishes his life to fulfill their request, and as a consequence of pleasing the gods through this sacrifice, he attains the akṣaya (imperishable) realms.