Shloka 18

धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas

Devanagari script

यच्चाहं वासुदेवस्य नाऔ्रैषं वाक्यमर्थवत्‌

Transliteration

yac cāhaṃ vāsudevasya nāśrauṣaṃ vākyam arthavat

Translation

ドリタラーシュトラは言った。「そして私は、ヴァースデーヴァの含蓄ある忠言に耳を貸さなかった。」この告白において彼は道義の過ちを認めている。すなわち、ダルマにかなう賢明な助言を退けたことで破滅への道筋を助長し、いまや悔恨の重みを背負っているのである。

Word by Word

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अहम्
• Form: Common, Nominative, Singular

• वासुदेवस्य: of Vāsudeva (Krishna)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• आश्रौषम्: I listened/heeded
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Aorist (Sic-luk), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• वाक्यम्: speech; words
• वाक्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अर्थवत्: meaningful; full of import
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्थवत्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ignoring sound, meaningful counsel—especially when it aligns with dharma—creates moral culpability and leads to suffering; wisdom must be heeded, not merely heard.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Āśramavāsika context, Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on past failures after the war’s devastation, admitting that he did not heed Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva), whose advice could have restrained wrongdoing and altered the tragic outcome.