Shloka 3

उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय 33: धृतराष्ट्र-विदुर संवादः (विदुरनीतिः)

Devanagari script

पापाशड्की पापमेवानुपश्यन्‌ पृच्छामि त्वां व्याकुलेनात्मनाहम्‌ । कवे तने ब्रूहि सर्व यथाव- न्मनीषितं सर्वमजातशत्रो:,विद्वन! मेरे मनमें अनिष्टकी आशंका बनी रहती है, इसलिये मैं सर्वत्र अनिष्ट ही देखता हूँ, अतः व्याकुल हृदयसे मैं तुमसे पूछ रहा हँ--अजातशत्रु युधिष्ठिर क्या चाहते हैं, सो सब ठीक-ठीक बताओ

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | pāpāśaṅkī pāpam evānupaśyan pṛcchāmi tvāṃ vyākulenātmanāham | kave tane brūhi sarvaṃ yathāvan manīṣitaṃ sarvam ajātaśatroḥ ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Haunted by fear of sin and therefore seeing evil everywhere, I question you with a troubled heart. O poet, O son, tell me everything exactly as it is—tell me in full what Ajātaśatru (Yudhiṣṭhira), in his considered mind, truly intends.”

Word by Word

• {'dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca': 'Dhṛtarāṣṭra said', 'pāpāśaṅkī': 'one who is anxious/fearful about sin or wrongdoing', 'pāpam': 'evil

• wrongdoing', 'eva': 'indeed

• precisely', 'anupaśyan': 'seeing repeatedly

• perceiving everywhere', 'pṛcchāmi': 'I ask

• I inquire', 'tvām': 'you (accusative singular)', 'vyākulena': 'with agitation

• with distress', 'ātmanā': 'with (my) self

• in (my) heart/mind', 'aham': 'I', 'kave': 'O poet

• O seer (address to a sage)', 'tane': 'O son (vocative

• affectionate address)', 'brūhi': 'tell

• speak', 'sarvam': 'everything

• all', 'yathāvat': 'as it really is

• in due order', 'manīṣitam': 'intended

• resolved (by deliberation)', 'ajātaśatroḥ': 'of Ajātaśatru, ‘one whose enemies are not born’ (epithet of Yudhiṣṭhira)'}

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Ajātaśatru (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Moral anxiety distorts perception: when one is gripped by fear of wrongdoing, one tends to see evil everywhere. The verse also models responsible inquiry—seeking accurate counsel (“yathāvat”) about another’s intentions rather than acting on suspicion.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the lead-up to the great conflict, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, inwardly unsettled, asks a trusted wise speaker (addressed as “kavi” and “son”) to report truthfully what Yudhiṣṭhira (Ajātaśatru) has resolved and desires, so that Dhṛtarāṣṭra may understand the Pāṇḍava stance.