Shloka 13

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुकक्‍्त्वा स धर्मात्मा भ्राता भ्रातरमच्युतम्‌ । अर्थतत्त्वविभागज्ञ: कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिर:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca evam uktvā sa dharmātmā bhrātā bhrātaram acyutam | arthatattvavibhāgajñaḥ kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Having spoken thus, that righteous-souled one—Yudhiṣṭhira, Kuntī’s son—who understood the true distinctions of purpose and principle, addressed his brother, the unfailing one, with the gravity of a brother instructing a brother in what is right.

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

एवम्thus

उक्त्वाhaving said

सःhe

धर्मात्माrighteous-souled (one whose self is dharma)

भ्राताbrother

भ्रातरम्brother (as object)

अच्युतम्Acyuta (Krishna)

अर्थतत्त्वविभागज्ञःknower of the distinctions of meaning and truth (principles)

कुन्तीपुत्रःson of Kuntī

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira

Kuntī

Acyuta

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 Yudhiṣṭhira’s defining virtue: discernment grounded in dharma—knowing how to distinguish true principles (tattva) and practical aims (artha) and then speaking accordingly, especially in the intimate moral setting of advising a brother.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśampāyana transitions the scene: after making a prior statement, Yudhiṣṭhira—described as righteous and discerning—addresses his brother, referred to here as ‘Acyuta,’ setting up the next portion of dialogue or counsel.