Shloka 17

Drupada’s Instruction to the Purohita for the Kaurava Embassy (द्रुपदोपदेशः दूतप्रेषणम्)

Devanagari script

स भवान्‌ पुष्ययोगेन मुहूर्तेन जयेन च । कौरवेयान्‌ प्रयात्वाशु कौन्तेयस्यार्थसिद्धये,अतः आप पुष्य नक्षत्रसे युक्त जय नामक मुहूर्तमें कुन्तीनन्दन युधिष्ठिरके कार्यकी सिद्धिके लिये कौरवोंके पास शीघ्र जाइये

Transliteration

sa bhavān puṣyayogena muhūrtena jayena ca | kauraveyān prayātvāśu kaunteyasyārthasiddhaye ||

Translation

Drupada said: “May you, under the auspicious conjunction of the Puṣya nakṣatra and at the victorious ‘Jaya’ muhūrta, go swiftly to the Kauravas, so that the purpose of Kuntī’s son (Yudhiṣṭhira) may be accomplished.”

Word by Word

सःhe

भवान्you (honorific)

पुष्ययोगेनby/with the Pushya conjunction (auspicious alignment)

मुहूर्तेनby/at the muhurta (auspicious time-period)

जयेनby/with (the) Jaya (named) [muhurta]

चand

कौरवेयान्the Kauravas (sons/descendants of Kuru)

प्रयात्वाhaving gone / having set out

आशुquickly

कौन्तेयस्यof Kunti's son (Kunti-putra)

अर्थसिद्धयेfor the accomplishment of the purpose

Speaker

दुपद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Drupada

Kauravas

Kaunteya (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Puṣya nakṣatra

Jaya muhūrta

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 prudent statecraft: righteous aims should be pursued through timely, well-judged action—here symbolized by choosing an auspicious moment for a diplomatic mission intended to secure Yudhiṣṭhira’s rightful objective.

What is happening in the narrative?

Drupada instructs an emissary to depart immediately for the Kauravas, timing the journey with the Puṣya nakṣatra and the ‘Jaya’ muhūrta, so that Yudhiṣṭhira’s intended goal in the tense pre-war negotiations may be successfully achieved.