Shloka 14

Devanagari script

एतेषां कतमो राजन्‌ निवासस्तव रोचते । यत्र वत्स्यामहे राजन्‌ संवत्सरमिमं वयम्‌,राजन! इनमेंसे कौन-सा राष्ट्र आपको निवास करनेके लिये पसंद है? जिसमें हम सब लोग इस वर्ष निवास करें

Transliteration

eteṣāṁ katamo rājan nivāsas tava rocate | yatra vatsyāmahe rājan saṁvatsaram imaṁ vayam ||

Translation

Arjuna berkata: “Wahai Raja, dari semuanya ini, negeri manakah yang engkau sukai untuk tempat tinggal? Katakanlah, wahai Raja, di mana kita harus menetap selama satu tahun ini?”

Word by Word

एतेषाम्of these

कतमःwhich (one) (among many)

राजन्O king

निवासःdwelling, residence

तवyour

रोचतेpleases, is liked

यत्रwhere

वत्स्यामहेwe shall dwell

राजन्O king

संवत्सरम्a year

इमम्this

वयम्we

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

King (addressed person)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights prudent counsel and collective responsibility: before undertaking a risky year-long stay, the group seeks the king’s preference, emphasizing respectful consultation, strategic choice of refuge, and disciplined planning in adversity.

What is happening in the narrative?

At the outset of the Virāṭa episode, Arjuna addresses a king and asks which among the available realms would be suitable for residence, since they intend to live there for a full year—setting up the decision about where to spend the period of concealed living.