Shloka 11

धृतराष्ट्राश्रमगमनम् — The Pandavas’ Procession to Dhritarashtra’s Hermitage

Devanagari script

दुर्योधनको कलियुग समझो और शकुनिको द्वापर। शुभदर्शने! अपने दुःशासन आदि पुत्रोंकोी राक्षस जानो ।। मरुद्गणाद्‌ भीमसेनं बलवन्तमरिंदमम्‌ । विद्धि त्वं तु नरमृषिमिमं पार्थ धनंजयम्‌,शत्रुओंका दमन करनेवाले बलवान्‌ भीमसेनको मरुदगणोंके अंशसे उत्पन्न मानो। इन कुन्तीपुत्र धनंजयको तुम पुरातन ऋषि “नर” समझो

Transliteration

duryodhanaḥ kali-yugaḥ samākhyeyaḥ śakuniś ca dvāparaḥ | śubha-darśane! duḥśāsanādīn putrān rākṣasān jānīhi || marud-gaṇād bhīmasenaṃ balavantaṃ ariṃdamam | viddhi tvaṃ tu nara-ṛṣim imaṃ pārthaṃ dhanaṃjayam ||

Translation

Vyāsa dijo: «Oh tú, de visión auspiciosa, entiende que Duryodhana encarna la era de Kali, y Śakuni la de Dvāpara. Sabe que Duḥśāsana y los demás hijos son de naturaleza rākṣasa. Reconoce al poderoso Bhīmasena, aplastador de enemigos, como nacido de una porción de las huestes de los Maruts; y sabe que este Pārtha, Dhanaṃjaya, es el antiguo sabio Nara».

Word by Word

• {'duryodhanaḥ': 'Duryodhana (eldest Kaurava prince)', 'kali-yugaḥ': 'the Kali age

• an era marked by decline of dharma', 'samākhyeyaḥ (samākhyeya)': 'to be understood/identified as', 'śakuniḥ': 'Śakuni (Gāndhārī’s brother

• strategist of the Kauravas)', 'dvāparaḥ (dvāpara-yugaḥ)': 'the Dvāpara age

• the era preceding Kali', 'śubha-darśane': 'O one of auspicious/clear vision (vocative address)', 'duḥśāsana-ādīn': 'Duḥśāsana and others (ādīn = ‘beginning with’)', 'putrān': 'sons', 'rākṣasān': 'rākṣasas

• demonic/violent beings (here: cruel disposition)', 'marud-gaṇāt': 'from the host of Maruts (storm-deities)', 'bhīmasenam': 'Bhīmasena (Bhīma)', 'balavantam': 'mighty, powerful', 'ariṃdamam': 'crusher/subduer of enemies', 'viddhi': 'know, understand (imperative)', 'tvam tu': 'you indeed', 'nara-ṛṣim': 'the sage Nara (paired with Nārāyaṇa in tradition)', 'imam': 'this (one here)', 'pārtham': 'son of Pṛthā (Kuntī)

• Arjuna', 'dhanaṃjayam': 'Dhanaṃjaya (‘conqueror of wealth’), epithet of Arjuna'}

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Duryodhana
• Kali-yuga
• Śakuni
• Dvāpara-yuga
• Duḥśāsana
• Marut-gaṇa (Maruts)
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Dhanaṃjaya
• Nara (ṛṣi)
• Rākṣasa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Vyāsa frames the characters as moral-cosmic types: Duryodhana embodies Kali-like decline, Śakuni reflects Dvāpara-like contentiousness, while the Pāṇḍavas are linked to divine/ṛṣi origins. The ethical point is that adharma is not merely personal but can manifest as a larger degenerative force, whereas dharmic strength is grounded in higher, disciplined sources.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Āśramavāsika Parva, Vyāsa instructs the addressed listener (here called ‘Śubhadarśanā’) to understand the inner nature and origins of key figures: the Kauravas are characterized as rākṣasa-like and aligned with dark yuga qualities, while Bhīma and Arjuna are identified with divine/ṛṣi lineages (Maruts and Nara), explaining their extraordinary power and role in the war’s moral arc.