Shloka 8

युधिष्ठिरप्रश्नः—विश्वामित्रस्य ब्राह्मणत्वकौतूहलम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry on Viśvāmitra’s Attainment of Brāhmaṇya

Devanagari script

नाभिवादयते ज्येष्ठं देवरातं नराधिप । पुत्रा: पज्चाशदेवापि शप्ता: श्वपचतां गता:

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: nābhivādayate jyeṣṭhaṃ Devarātaṃ narādhipa; putrāḥ pañcāśad evāpi śaptāḥ śvapacatāṃ gatāḥ.

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô roi, ils ne s’inclinèrent pas devant Devarāta, l’aîné. C’est pourquoi même ces cinquante fils, frappés d’une malédiction, tombèrent dans la condition de śvapaca (parias).» Le passage souligne le poids éthique accordé à l’honneur dû aux aînés et à la préséance légitime au sein de la famille ; refuser le respect requis est présenté comme une rupture du dharma aux lourdes conséquences sociales et spirituelles.

Word by Word

• {'nābhivādayate': 'did not salute / did not pay respectful obeisance', 'jyeṣṭham': 'the eldest (son/brother)

• senior-most', 'Devarātam': 'Devarāta (proper name

• here, Viśvāmitra’s eldest son, also associated with Śunaḥśepa in later tradition)', 'narādhipa': 'O ruler of men

• king', 'putrāḥ': 'sons', 'pañcāśat': 'fifty', 'eva': 'indeed

• even', 'api': 'also

• even', 'śaptāḥ': 'cursed', 'śvapaca': 'dog-cooker

• a term for an outcaste/caṇḍāla in classical usage', 'śvapacatām gatāḥ': 'went to the state/condition of śvapacas (became outcastes)'}

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Devarāta
• Viśvāmitra
• Śunaḥśepa
• the fifty sons of Viśvāmitra
• narādhipa (the addressed king)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse stresses that honoring the rightful senior (jyeṣṭha) is a duty within dharma; deliberate refusal of respect is treated as a serious moral fault that can bring severe consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira recounts that Devarāta, the eldest, was not saluted by his younger brothers; as a result, they were cursed and are said to have become śvapacas (outcastes).