Shloka 17

Daitya-āśvāsana of Duryodhana; Karṇa’s assurance and the mobilization of the Kaurava host

Devanagari script

तस्माद्‌ गच्छन्तु पुरुषा: स्मारणायाप्तकारिण: । न स्वयं तत्र गमनं रोचये तव भारत,अतः भरतनन्दन! दूसरे विश्वसनीय पुरुष गौओंकी गणना करनेके लिये वहाँ चले जायँगे। स्वयं तुम्हारा वहाँ जाना मुझे ठीक नहीं जान पड़ता

Transliteration

tasmād gacchantu puruṣāḥ smāraṇāyāptakāriṇaḥ | na svayaṃ tatra gamanaṃ rocaye tava bhārata ||

Translation

Therefore, let trustworthy men—those who will carry out what is entrusted to them—go there to make the necessary reckoning and record (such as counting the cattle). As for you, O Bhārata, I do not approve of your going there in person.

Word by Word

तस्मात्therefore/from that

गच्छन्तुlet (them) go

पुरुषाःmen/persons

स्मारणायfor counting/for taking account (lit. for making remembered)

आप्तकारिणःtrustworthy/reliable (doing what is proper)

नnot

स्वयम्yourself

तत्रthere

गमनम्going

रोचयेI approve/I like

तवof you/your

भारतO Bharata

अतःtherefore/for this reason

भरतनन्दनO descendant/delighter of Bharata

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Bhārata (addressee, i.e., a descendant of Bharata)

puruṣāḥ (trusted men/agents)

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?

Prudent governance: sensitive or potentially risky tasks should be delegated to reliable, proven agents (āptakāriṇaḥ), and a leader should avoid unnecessary personal involvement when it may lead to danger, controversy, or ethical complications.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra advises the addressed Bhārata not to go personally to a certain place; instead, he recommends sending trustworthy men to perform the needed accounting/recording task (implied in the Hindi gloss as counting cattle).