Shloka 21

Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)

Devanagari script

धृतराष्ट्रात्मजा: सर्वे यातुधाना बलोत्कटा:

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭrātmajāḥ sarve yātudhānā balotkaṭāḥ

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Tous les fils de Dhṛtarāṣṭra—farouches comme des yātudhānas (êtres démoniaques) et redoutables par leur force—furent ainsi décrits. Le vers souligne que la puissance, lorsqu’elle est coupée du dharma, apparaît comme une férocité démoniaque plutôt que comme une véritable noblesse.

Word by Word

• धृतराष्ट्रात्मजाः: sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• धृतराष्ट्रात्मजाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृतराष्ट्र-आत्मज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• यातुधानाः: demons, rākṣasas
• यातुधानाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यातुधान
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• बलोत्कटाः: mighty in strength, very powerful
• बलोत्कटाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बल-उत्कट
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons (Kauravas)
• Yātudhānas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames sheer strength without righteousness as demonic ferocity. It implies that ethical quality (dharma) is the true measure of nobility; power used for cruelty is condemned through the metaphor of yātudhānas.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana characterizes Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons collectively as extremely powerful yet morally fearsome, using a demon-like epithet to emphasize their violent disposition and the ethical judgment of their conduct.