Shloka 7
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय 70: युधिष्ठिरस्य शान्त्युपायविचारः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Deliberation on Peace-Means
त्रैलेक्यनिर्माणकरं जनित्रं देवासुराणामथ नागरक्षसाम् | नराधिपानां विदुषां प्रधान- मिन्द्रानुजं तं शरणं प्रपद्ये
trailokya-nirmāṇa-karaṁ janitraṁ devāsurāṇām atha nāga-rakṣasām | narādhipānāṁ viduṣāṁ pradhānaṁ indrānujaṁ taṁ śaraṇaṁ prapadye
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “I seek refuge in that Indra’s younger brother—him who is the generative source and effective maker of the three worlds; the progenitor of gods and asuras, and also of nāgas and rākṣasas; the foremost among kings and among the wise. To him I surrender for protection.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models śaraṇāgati—seeking refuge in a higher, world-ordering power. By praising the deity as creator/progenitor of all classes of beings and as foremost among rulers and sages, it implies that true security and right guidance for kingship and conduct come from aligning oneself with the cosmic source of dharma rather than relying on mere human power.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks a reverential invocation, taking refuge in “Indra’s younger brother” (a traditional epithet associated with Viṣṇu/Upendra). In the tense Udyoga Parva setting—when war preparations and negotiations intensify—this functions as a solemn appeal for protection and right outcome, framing the unfolding political crisis within a larger divine and ethical order.