Shloka 4
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 30: Sañjaya’s Departure and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Commission of Greetings
गावल्गणे कुरून् गत्वा धृतराष्ट्रं महाबलम् | अभिवाद्योपसंगृहा[ ततः पृच्छेरनामयम्,संजय! तुम कुरुदेशमें जाकर मेरी ओरसे महाबली धूृतराष्ट्रको प्रणाम करके उनके दोनों पैर पकड़ लेना और उनसे स्वास्थ्यका समाचार पूछना
gāvalgaṇe kurūn gatvā dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ mahābalam | abhivādyopasaṅgṛhya tataḥ pṛccher anāmayam, saṃjaya ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Gāvalgaṇa (Sañjaya), go to the land of the Kurus. Having approached the mighty Dhṛtarāṣṭra, offer him respectful salutations, clasping his feet in humility, and then inquire after his well-being. Let my reverence be conveyed through you.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid looming conflict, dharma requires courtesy, humility, and concern for an elder’s welfare. Yudhiṣṭhira models ethical diplomacy: respectful address, physical gesture of reverence, and a humane inquiry before any political business.
Yudhiṣṭhira instructs Sañjaya (addressed as Gāvalgaṇa) to go to the Kuru court, respectfully greet King Dhṛtarāṣṭra—symbolically by clasping his feet—and ask about his health, conveying the Pāṇḍavas’ deference as part of the embassy context in Udyoga Parva.