Shloka 11

Vidura’s Message to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Authorization for Dāna and Public Welfare (विदुरवाक्यम्—दानानुज्ञा)

Devanagari script

तथा पृषथ्रो राजा55सीद्‌ राजन्‌ वज्रधरोपम: । स चापि तपसा लेभे नाकपृष्ठमितो गत:,महाराज! राजा पृषध्र वज्रधारी इन्द्रके समान पराक्रमी थे। उन्होंने भी तपस्याके बलसे इस लोकसे जानेपर स्वर्गलोक प्राप्त किया था

Transliteration

tathā pṛṣadhro rājāsīd rājan vajradharopamaḥ | sa cāpi tapasā lebhe nākapṛṣṭham ito gataḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Nārada: «Así también fue el rey Pṛṣadhra, oh rey, poderoso como Indra, portador del rayo. Él también, por la fuerza de sus austeridades, al partir de este mundo alcanzó el ámbito celeste (Nākapṛṣṭha)». El verso proclama un ideal ético: la disciplina y el tapas elevan más allá del rango mundano, y la realeza responde no solo ante el poder, sino ante el mérito interior.

Word by Word

तथाthus, likewise

पृषध्रःPṛṣadhra (name of a king)

राजाking

आसीत्was

राजन्O king

वज्रधर-उपमःcomparable to the wielder of the thunderbolt (Indra-like)

सःhe

चand

अपिalso

तपसाby austerity, through penance

लेभेobtained

नाकपृष्ठम्the surface/realm of heaven (svarga)

इतःfrom here, from this world

गतःgone, having departed

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Pṛṣadhra

Indra (Vajradhara)

Svarga (Nākapṛṣṭha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Worldly power is not the final measure of a ruler; disciplined austerity (tapas) and inner merit can lead to higher spiritual reward, here expressed as attainment of heaven.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada continues listing exemplary kings: he cites King Pṛṣadhra, praised as Indra-like in valor, and states that through tapas he attained the heavenly realm after leaving this world.