Shloka 35

धृतराष्ट्र-सत्कारः तथा श्राद्ध-दाने नियमनम् | Honoring Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Regulating Śrāddha-Gifts

Devanagari script

विपरीतकश्न मे शत्रुर्नियम्यश्न भवेन्नर: । राजा युधिष्ठिर बड़े दयालु थे। वे सदा प्रसन्न रहकर अपने भाइयों और मन्त्रियोंसे कहा करते थे कि “ये राजा धृतराष्ट्र मेरे और आपलोगोंके माननीय हैं। जो इनकी आज्ञाके अधीन रहता है, वही मेरा सुहृद्‌ है। विपरीत आचरण करनेवाला मेरा शत्रु है। वह मेरे दण्डका भागी होगा

Transliteration

vaiparītyakṛc ca me śatrur niyamyaś ca bhaven naraḥ | rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ baḍe dayālu the | ve sadā prasanna rahakar apane bhrātṛbhyaḥ mantribhyaś ca kahā karate the ki “e rājā dhṛtarāṣṭra mere aur āpalogoṃ ke mānanīya haiṃ | yo ’syājñāyāḥ adhīnaḥ tiṣṭhati sa eva mama suhṛt | vaiparītyācaraṇakartā mama śatruḥ | sa mama daṇḍasya bhāgī bhaviṣyati”

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “For me, the man who acts contrary becomes an enemy; the man who restrains himself and remains under discipline becomes worthy. King Yudhiṣṭhira, greatly compassionate, would repeatedly tell his brothers and ministers, always in a calm and cheerful spirit: ‘This King Dhṛtarāṣṭra is venerable to me and to all of you. Whoever stays obedient to his command is truly my well-wisher; whoever behaves in opposition is my enemy and will incur my punishment.’”

Word by Word

• {'viparīta': 'contrary, opposed, perverse', 'kṛt (kṛc)': 'doing, acting (one who does)', 'śatruḥ': 'enemy', 'niyamya': 'having restrained

• under discipline', 'naraḥ': 'man, person', 'bhavet': 'would be, becomes', 'rājā': 'king', 'Yudhiṣṭhiraḥ': 'Yudhiṣṭhira (eldest Pāṇḍava)', 'dayālu': 'compassionate, merciful', 'prasanna': 'serene, pleased, composed', 'bhrātṛ': 'brother', 'mantrin': 'minister, counselor', 'mānanīya': 'venerable, worthy of respect', 'ājñā': 'command, order', 'adhīna': 'subject to, under the authority of', 'suhṛt': 'well-wisher, friend', 'ācaraṇa': 'conduct, behavior', 'daṇḍa': 'punishment

• royal chastisement', 'bhāgī': 'sharer, recipient (one who incurs a share)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Yudhiṣṭhira's brothers (Pāṇḍavas)
• ministers/counselors

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Yudhiṣṭhira frames ethical governance as disciplined obedience to rightful authority and respect for elders: loyalty is measured by adherence to Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s command, while willful contrariness is treated as hostility deserving royal punishment.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Āśramavāsika context, Vaiśampāyana reports Yudhiṣṭhira’s ongoing instructions to his brothers and ministers: Dhṛtarāṣṭra is to be honored, and those who follow his directives are to be regarded as allies, whereas those who oppose them will be punished.