Shloka 26

Devanagari script

श्रुत्वा कृष्णस्य वचन धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिर:

Transliteration

śrutvā kṛṣṇasya vacanaṃ dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Having heard Kṛṣṇa’s words, Yudhiṣṭhira—the king devoted to dharma—responded in the spirit of righteous deliberation amid the pressures of war.

Word by Word

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

• कृष्णस्य: of Krishna
• कृष्णस्य: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• वचनम्: speech/words
• वचनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• धर्मराजः: Dharma-king (Yudhishthira)
• धर्मराजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhishthira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kṛṣṇa
• Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical posture of a dharmic ruler: counsel should be heard attentively, and decisions—especially in war—should be grounded in dharma rather than impulse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira, identified as Dharmarāja, listens to Kṛṣṇa’s counsel; this sets up Yudhiṣṭhira’s ensuing response or decision in the unfolding events of the Droṇa Parva.