Shloka 14

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

Devanagari script

अमात्यानुपधातीतान्‌ पितृपैतामहान्‌ शुचीन्‌ । दान्तान्‌ कर्मसु पुण्यांश्व॒ पुण्यान्‌ सर्वेषु योजये:,“जो जाँचे-बूझे हुए तथा निष्कपटभावसे काम करनेवाले हों, जो पिता-पितामहोंके समयसे काम देखते आ रहे हों तथा जो बाहर-भीतरसे शुद्ध, संयमी और जन्म एवं कर्मसे भी पवित्र हों, ऐसे मन्त्रियोंको ही सब तरहके उत्तरदायित्वपूर्ण कार्योमें नियुक्त करना

Transliteration

amātyān upadhātītān pitṛpaitāmahān śucīn | dāntān karmasu puṇyāṁś ca puṇyān sarveṣu yojayet ||

Translation

Waiśampāyana berkata: Dalam segala tugas yang memikul tanggung jawab, hendaknya diangkat hanya para menteri yang telah diuji dan terbukti dapat dipercaya, yang mengabdi tanpa tipu daya, yang telah melayani sejak masa ayah dan kakek, yang suci lahir batin, berpengendalian diri, serta mulia oleh kelahiran maupun laku perbuatan.

Word by Word

अमात्यान्ministers, counselors

उपधातीतान्who have passed tests/are proven (lit. having gone beyond examination)

पितृपैतामहान्connected with fathers and grandfathers; hereditary/long-serving (from forefathers' time)

शुचीन्pure, clean

दान्तान्self-controlled, restrained

कर्मसुin duties/works

पुण्यान्virtuous, meritorious

चand

पुण्यान्pure/holy (by birth)

सर्वेषुin all (matters/tasks)

योजयेत्should appoint/engage

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Public responsibility should be entrusted only to ministers who are proven through scrutiny, free from deceit, disciplined, and ethically pure; legitimacy in administration comes from integrity and tested reliability.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a normative instruction on statecraft is given: the ruler should select and assign ministers to important tasks based on proven character, long-standing trustworthy service, and moral discipline.