Shloka 18
अध्याय ९ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति राजनित्युपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Royal Policy to Yudhiṣṭhira
त्यक्ता वयं तु भवता दुःखशोकपरायणा: । भविष्यामश्रिरं राजन् भवद््गुणशतैर्युता:
tyaktā vayaṁ tu bhavatā duḥkhaśokaparāyaṇāḥ | bhaviṣyāmaśriraṁ rājan bhavad-guṇaśatair yutāḥ ||
Délaissés par toi, nous sommes tout entiers livrés à la douleur et au chagrin. Pourtant, ô Roi, nous continuerons de vivre—soutenus et maintenus par les centaines de vertus qui sont tiennes.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of separation from a righteous leader: abandonment brings intense grief, yet remembrance of the leader’s many virtues becomes a sustaining moral support. It underscores how guṇa (excellence of character) can continue to guide and console even in loss.
The speaker voices the community’s distress at being left by the addressed king. They confess their present condition—overwhelmed by sorrow and lacking auspiciousness—while also affirming that the king’s renowned virtues will remain with them as a source of endurance.