Shloka 26

धृतराष्ट्रस्य पश्चात्तापः तथा वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse and Request for Forest-Retirement

Devanagari script

पौरजानपदानां च शौचाशौचे युधिष्ठिर

Transliteration

paurajānāpadānāṃ ca śaucāśauce yudhiṣṭhira

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : «Et quant à la pureté et à l’impureté (les règles de propreté et de souillure) observées parmi les citadins et les gens des campagnes, ô Yudhiṣṭhira…»

Word by Word

• पौरजानपदानाम्: of the townsmen and countryfolk
• पौरजानपदानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौर-जनपद
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• शौचाशौचे: in purity and impurity
• शौचाशौचे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शौच-अशौच
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Dual

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• paura (townspeople)
• jānapada (countryfolk)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse signals a dharma-oriented discussion about śauca and aśauca—how purity and impurity are understood and regulated in society—highlighting that ethical and ritual norms apply across different communities (urban and rural) and are relevant to righteous governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana continues addressing Yudhiṣṭhira, introducing (or transitioning into) an explanation of the practices and rules concerning purity and impurity among the people of towns and the countryside, as part of a broader discourse on proper conduct.