Shloka 20

अध्याय १५ (Āśramavāsika-parva): धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनवासानुज्ञायाचनम् — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s renewed plea for consent to forest-dwelling

Devanagari script

पुरोद्यतान्‌ पुरा हास्मानुत्साहा प्रियदर्शने । विदुलाया वचोभिस्त्व॑ नास्मान्‌ संत्यक्तुमहसि

Transliteration

purodyatān purā hāsmān utsāhā priyadarśane | vidulāyā vacobhis tvaṁ nāsmān saṁtyaktum arhasi ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Oh, de hermoso semblante: antes, cuando estábamos listos para partir de la ciudad, tú avivaste nuestra determinación—por medio de las palabras de Vidulā—para sostener el deber del kṣatriya. Por eso, no es propio que ahora nos abandones».

Word by Word

• {'purodyatān': 'previously prepared/ready (to set out)', 'purā': 'formerly, earlier', 'ha': 'indeed (emphatic particle)', 'asmān': 'us', 'utsāhā': 'you encouraged

• you roused enthusiasm/courage', 'priyadarśane': 'O pleasant/fair to behold (vocative address)', 'vidulāyāḥ': 'of Vidulā (genitive)', 'vacobhiḥ': 'by words, through speech (instrumental plural)', 'tvam': 'you', 'na': 'not', 'saṁtyaktum': 'to abandon, to forsake', 'arhasi': 'you ought/are fit (here: it is proper for you)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Vidulā
• priyadarśanā (addressed person)
• nagara (city)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should remain consistent with the duty and resolve one has earlier inspired in others; having urged adherence to kṣatriya-dharma, it is ethically improper to withdraw support or abandon companions at a critical moment.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker recalls an earlier moment when the addressed person encouraged the group—citing Vidulā’s instructive words—when they were about to leave the city, and now argues that the same person should not desert them.