Shloka 21

Devanagari script

तेडपि सर्वे निवर्तन्तां ये च सूदानुयायिन: । मया यथोचिताजीव्यै: संविभक्ताश्न वृत्तिभि:,जो लोग रसोइयोंकी अपेक्षा रखनेवाले हैं तथा जिन्हें मैंने अलग-अलग बाँटकर उचित- उचित आजीविकाकी व्यवस्था कर दी है, वे सब लोग घर लौट जायेँ

Transliteration

te 'pi sarve nivartantāṁ ye ca sūdānuyāyinaḥ | mayā yathocitājīvyaiḥ saṁvibhaktāś ca vṛttibhiḥ ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Biarlah mereka juga pulang—mereka yang bergantung pada para juru masak, dan mereka yang telah kuatur bagi masing-masingnya penghidupan yang layak, dengan pembagian nafkah dan pekerjaan yang semestinya.”

Word by Word

तेthey/those

अपिalso/even

सर्वेall

निवर्तन्ताम्let (them) return

येwho/which (people)

चand

सूदcooks

अनुयायिनःfollowers/attendants

मयाby me

यथाas/according to

उचितproper/suitable

आजीव्यैःwith livelihoods/means of living

संविभक्ताःapportioned/distributed (to)

अश्नुlet them partake/enjoy

वृत्तिभिःby means of occupations/maintenance

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

cooks (sūda)

attendants/dependents (anuyāyinaḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler’s dharma includes responsible care for dependents: ensuring appropriate livelihoods and then releasing them from unnecessary hardship. Ethical leadership is shown through orderly provision, not mere command.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira instructs that certain members of the retinue—especially those connected with kitchen service or dependent on it—should return home, since he has already arranged proper sustenance and occupations for them.