Shloka 42

उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ९३: कृष्णस्य धृतराष्ट्रोपदेशः

Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel to Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the Assembly

Devanagari script

अभ्यभाषत दाशार्हों भीष्म शान्तनवं शनै: । पार्थिवीं समितिं द्रष्टमूषयो$भ्यागता नूप,राजाओंके बीचमें खड़े हुए शत्रुनगरविजयी परंतप श्रीकृष्णने देखा कि आकाशमें कुछ ऋषि-मुनि खड़े हैं। उन नारद आदि महर्षियोंको देखकर श्रीकृष्णने धीरेसे शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मसे कहा-- “नरेश्वर! इस राजसभाको देखनेके लिये ऋषिगण पधारे हैं

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | abhyabhāṣata dāśārho bhīṣma śāntanavaṃ śanaiḥ | pārthivīṃ samitiṃ draṣṭum ṛṣayo 'bhyāgatā nṛpa ||

Translation

વૈશમ્પાયન બોલ્યા— દાશાર્હ શ્રીકૃષ્ણે શાંતનુનંદન ભીષ્મને ધીમેથી કહ્યું— “નરેશ્વર! રાજાઓની આ સભા જોવા માટે ઋષિગણ આવ્યા છે.” આકાશમાં સ્થિત નારદાદિ મહર્ષિઓને જોઈ શ્રીકૃષ્ણે સૂચવ્યું કે રાજકીય વિચારણા અને નજીક આવતું યુદ્ધ પણ ઉચ્ચ ધર્મ-આધ્યાત્મિક દૃષ્ટિ હેઠળ સાક્ષીભાવે જોવાઈ રહ્યું છે।

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'abhyabhāṣata', 'definition': 'spoke to, addressed (aorist of abhi-√bhāṣ)'}, {'term': 'dāśārhaḥ', 'definition': 'Kṛṣṇa, descendant of the Daśārha/Yādava line'}, {'term': 'bhīṣmaḥ', 'definition': 'Bhīṣma, the grandsire of the Kurus'}, {'term': 'śāntanavam', 'definition': 'son of Śāntanu

• epithet of Bhīṣma'}, {'term': 'śanaiḥ', 'definition': 'gently, slowly, in a low voice'}, {'term': 'pārthivīm samitim', 'definition': 'the royal assembly of kings (lit. ‘earthly’ assembly)'}, {'term': 'draṣṭum', 'definition': 'to see, to behold (infinitive of √dṛś)'}, {'term': 'ṛṣayaḥ', 'definition': 'sages, seers'}, {'term': 'abhyāgatāḥ', 'definition': 'have come near, have arrived'}, {'term': 'nṛpa', 'definition': 'O king (vocative)'}]

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa (Dāśārha)
• Bhīṣma (Śāntanu-nandana/Śāntanava)
• Ṛṣis (sages; implied Nārada and others in the prose context)
• Royal assembly (pārthivī samiti)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even royal policy and the approach to war are not merely human affairs; they are subject to dharmic evaluation. The arrival of sages symbolizes a higher moral witness, urging restraint, clarity, and responsibility in counsel and decision-making.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the royal court setting, Kṛṣṇa notices sages present (described as in the sky in the accompanying prose) and quietly informs Bhīṣma that they have come to observe the gathering of kings.