Shloka 4

कुन्ती-युधिष्ठिरसंवादः

Kuntī–Yudhiṣṭhira Dialogue on Bhīma’s Mission

Devanagari script

विदिते धृतराष्ट्रस्य धार्तराष्ट्रो न संशय: । दग्धवान्‌ पाण्डुदायादान्‌ न होन॑ प्रतिषिद्धवान्‌,“इसमें संदेह नहीं कि धुृतराष्ट्रपुत्र दुर्योधनने धृतराष्ट्रकी जानकारीमें पाण्डुपुत्रोंको जलाया है और धृतराष्ट्रने इसे मना नहीं किया

Transliteration

vidite dhṛtarāṣṭrasya dhārtarāṣṭro na saṁśayaḥ | dagdhavān pāṇḍudāyādān na ho na pratiṣiddhavān ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : «Il n’y a aucun doute : Duryodhana, fils de Dhṛtarāṣṭra, a brûlé les héritiers de Pāṇḍu avec la connaissance de Dhṛtarāṣṭra ; et Dhṛtarāṣṭra ne l’a pas interdit.»

Word by Word

विदितेwhen (it is) known

धृतराष्ट्रस्यof Dhṛtarāṣṭra

धार्तराष्ट्रःthe son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra (Duryodhana)

नnot

संशयःdoubt

दग्धवान्having burned

पाण्डुदायादान्the heirs/descendants of Pāṇḍu (the Pāṇḍavas)

नnot

होindeed/for sure (emphatic particle; often written as हि/हो in some recensions)

नnot

प्रतिषिद्धवान्having forbidden/prevented

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Duryodhana

Pāṇḍu

Pāṇḍavas (Pāṇḍu’s heirs)

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?

Knowing of wrongdoing and failing to forbid it makes a ruler morally complicit; dharma requires restraint of harm, not passive consent.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator asserts that Duryodhana arranged the burning of the Pāṇḍavas, and that Dhṛtarāṣṭra knew of it and did not stop it—highlighting culpability through silence.