Shloka 5

Droṇa–Drupada Saṃvāda and Droṇa’s Reception at the Kuru Court (द्रोण-द्रुपद-संवादः; कुरुनगरप्रवेशः)

Devanagari script

यद्‌ ब्रूयात्‌ तत्‌ तथा कार्यमिति वेदविदो विदु: । विशेषत: पुत्रगृध्यी हीन: प्रजननात्‌ स्वयम्‌,साधु पुरुष इसीको प्राचीन धर्म कहते हैं। राजकन्ये! पति अपनी पत्नीसे जो बात कहे, वह धर्मके अनुकूल हो या प्रतिकूल, उसे अवश्य पूर्ण करना चाहिये--ऐसा वेदज्ञ पुरुषोंका कथन है। विशेषतः ऐसा पति, जो पुत्रकी अभिलाषा रखता हो और स्वयं संतानोत्पादनकी शक्तिसे रहित हो, जो बात कहे, वह अवश्य माननी चाहिये। निर्दोष अंगोंवाली शुभलक्षणे! मैं चूँकि पुत्रका मुँह देखनेके लिये लालायित हूँ, अतएव तुम्हारी प्रसन्नताके लिये मस्तकके समीप यह अंजलि धारण करता हूँ, जो लाल-लाल अंगुलियोंसे युक्त तथा कमलदलके समान सुशोभित है। सुन्दर केशोंवाली प्रिये! तुम मेरे आदेशसे तपस्यामें बढ़े-चढ़े हुए किसी श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणके साथ समागम करके गुणवान्‌ पुत्र उत्पन्न करो। सुश्रोणि! तुम्हारे प्रयत्नसे मैं पुत्रवानोंकी गति प्राप्त करूँ, ऐसी मेरी अभिलाषा है

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | yad brūyāt tat tathā kāryam iti vedavido viduḥ | viśeṣataḥ putragṛdhī hīnaḥ prajananāt svayam |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Whatever a husband may say, that is to be carried out exactly so—thus do the knowers of the Veda declare. This is especially so when the husband is eager for a son yet is himself deficient in the power of procreation.”

Word by Word

यत्whatever (that which)

ब्रूयात्should say

तत्that

तथाthus, in that manner

कार्यम्to be done; duty

इतिthus (quotative)

वेदविदःknowers of the Veda

विदुःknow, declare

विशेषतःespecially

पुत्रगृध्यीdesirous of a son

हीनःdevoid (of), lacking

प्रजननात्from procreation; in the matter of begetting

स्वयम्himself

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Veda (as authority)

husband

wife

son/offspring (putra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a dharma-claim grounded in Vedic authority: a wife is enjoined to carry out her husband’s directive, particularly when the directive concerns securing offspring for a husband who desires a son but cannot beget one himself—an ethical rationale that supports the later practice of niyoga in the narrative.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, states a normative principle about marital obedience and highlights a special case: a son-seeking but impotent/infertile husband. This sets up the story-context in which a husband may request his wife to obtain progeny through an appointed means.