Shloka 15

Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 193 — Hastināpura Mantra: Duryodhana’s Proposals to Divide the Pāṇḍavas

Devanagari script

तल्‍्लक्षयित्वा ट्रुपदस्य पुत्रो राजा च सर्व: सह मन्त्रिमुख्यै: । समर्थयामासुरुपेत्य हृष्टा: कुन्तीसुतान्‌ पार्थिव राजपुत्रान्‌

Transliteration

tal lakṣayitvā drupadasya putro rājā ca sarvaḥ saha mantrimukhyaiḥ | samarthayāmāsur upetya hṛṣṭāḥ kuntīsutān pārthiva rājaputrān, janamejaya ||

Translation

À cette vue, le fils de Drupada, le roi lui-même et tous les principaux ministres—transportés de joie—s’approchèrent d’eux et arrêtèrent une conclusion ferme : ces jeunes princes de sang royal, fils de rois, étaient bel et bien les fils de Kuntī. Ainsi, leur reconnaissance ne repose pas sur la rumeur, mais sur des signes constatés et une délibération avisée.

Word by Word

• {'tat': 'that (this matter/event)', 'lakṣayitvā': 'having noticed, having observed carefully', 'drupadasya': 'of Drupada', 'putraḥ': 'son', 'rājā': 'king', 'sarvaḥ': 'all (together), the whole (group)', 'saha': 'together with', 'mantri-mukhyaiḥ': 'with the chief ministers', 'samarthayāmāsuḥ': 'they concluded/affirmed, they resolved as fitting (took a definite view)', 'upetya': 'having approached, going near', 'hṛṣṭāḥ': 'delighted, pleased', 'kuntī-sutān': 'the sons of Kuntī', 'pārthivāḥ': 'royal, belonging to kings', 'rāja-putrān': 'princes, sons of a king', 'janamejaya': 'O Janamejaya (address to the listener)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Janamejaya
• Drupada
• Drupada’s son (Dhr̥ṣṭadyumna, implied by context)
• Kuntī
• Kuntī’s sons (the Pāṇḍavas, implied)
• King (unnamed in the verse-context)
• Chief ministers

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights prudent discernment: leaders should form conclusions based on observed signs and careful counsel rather than impulse. Recognition of rightful identity and lineage is treated as ethically significant in royal and social order (dharma).

What is happening in the narrative?

After observing certain indications, Drupada’s son, the king, and the chief ministers happily approach the young princes and decide that they are Kuntī’s sons (the Pāṇḍavas). This marks a moment of identification and political-social acknowledgment.