Shloka 13

Devanagari script

अजातशशणभ्रुस्तच्छुत्वा गन्धर्वस्य वचस्तदा । मोक्षयामास तानू सर्वान्‌ गन्धर्वान्‌ प्रशशंस च,गन्धवोका यह कथन सुनकर अजातशत्रु युधिष्ठिने उस समय समस्त कौरवोंको बन्धनसे छुड़ा दिया और गन्धर्वोकी भूरि-भूरि प्रशंसा की--

Transliteration

ajātaśaśaṇabhruḥ tac chrutvā gandharvasya vacas tadā | mokṣayāmāsa tānū sarvān gandharvān praśaśaṃsa ca ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Hearing those words of the Gandharva, Ajātaśaśatru (Yudhiṣṭhira) at once released them all from their bonds and offered abundant praise to the Gandharvas—acting in accordance with restraint, gratitude, and dharma even amid conflict.

Word by Word

अजातशत्रुःYudhiṣṭhira (he whose enemy is not born)

तत्that (speech/statement)

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

गन्धर्वस्यof the Gandharva

वचःspeech; words

तदाthen; at that time

मोक्षयामासreleased; set free

तान्them

सर्वान्all

गन्धर्वान्Gandharvas

प्रशशंसpraised

चand

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira (Ajātaśaśaṇabhru)

Gandharvas

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?

Even in tense circumstances, a righteous king responds to counsel with self-control: he frees those held in bondage and acknowledges virtue with praise, showing that dharma includes gratitude and restraint, not merely victory.

What is happening in the narrative?

After hearing the Gandharva’s statement, Yudhiṣṭhira immediately releases all the detained persons from captivity and openly commends the Gandharvas, indicating a turn from coercion to reconciliation.