Shloka 17

Vidura’s Recall from Kāmyaka-vana and Reconciliation with Dhṛtarāṣṭra (विदुरानयनम् / क्षमायाचनम्)

Devanagari script

प्रियं सर्वे करिष्यामो राज्ञ: किड्करपाणय: । न चास्य शवनुमः स्थातु प्रिये सर्वे हमृतन्द्रिता:,“हम सब लोग राजा दुर्योधनके किंकर और भुजाएँ हैं; अतः हम सब मिलकर इनका प्रिय कार्य करेंगे; परंतु हम आलस्य छोड़कर इनके प्रियसाधनमें लग नहीं पाते

Transliteration

priyaṁ sarve kariṣyāmo rājñaḥ kiṅkarapāṇayaḥ | na cāsya śaknumaḥ sthātuṁ priye sarve ’mṛtandritāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “We are all the king’s servants—indeed, his very hands and arms. Therefore, together we shall do what is pleasing to him. Yet we are unable to remain steadily engaged in accomplishing his desired aim, for we are all overcome by indolence.”

Word by Word

priyamwhat is dear/pleasing

sarveall (of us)

kariṣyāmaḥwe will do

rājñaḥof the king

kiṅkaraservants

pāṇayaḥhands (arms)

nanot

caand

asyaof him/this (king)

śaknumaḥwe are able

sthātumto stand / to remain / to be engaged

priyein (his) dear task / in what is pleasing

sarveall (of us)

amṛta-indritāḥsluggish/indolent (lit. with senses dulled as if by nectar)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

the king (rājā; contextually Duryodhana in the given gloss)

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?

The verse contrasts declared loyalty with actual conduct: claiming to be the king’s ‘hands and arms’ is meaningless without sustained effort. Ethically, it highlights that duty and allegiance require vigilance and disciplined action, not mere professions of devotion.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker reports a group’s stance toward their king: they affirm collective readiness to carry out what pleases him, but admit they fail to persist in executing his desired objective because they are hindered by laziness.