Shloka 9

धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Permission for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Forest-Retirement

Devanagari script

अहं हि तावत्‌ सर्वेषां तेषां दुर्दयूतदेविनाम्‌ पुत्राणां दातुमिच्छामि प्रेतभावानुगं वसु,हतपुत्राविमौ वृद्धौ विदित्वा दु:खितौं तथा इति श्रीमहाभारते आश्रमवासिके पर्वणि आश्रमवासपर्वणि धृतराष्ट्रप्रार्थने नवमो<ध्याय:

Transliteration

ahaṃ hi tāvat sarveṣāṃ teṣāṃ durdayūtadevinām putrāṇāṃ dātum icchāmi pretabhāvānugaṃ vasu, hataputrāv imau vṛddhau viditvā duḥkhitau tathā

Translation

ドリタラーシュトラは言った。「我としては、賭博という悪によって滅びたあの子らすべてのために、亡き者にふさわしい財を施したい。子を失い悲嘆に沈む老いた両親がこの二人であると知りつつ、私はこの布施を行いたいのだ。」

Word by Word

अहम्I

हिindeed/for

तावत्so much/for the present

सर्वेषाम्of all

तेषाम्of those

दुर्दयूतदेविनाम्of the evil gamblers (lit. bad-dice-players)

पुत्राणाम्of (their) sons

दातुम्to give

इच्छामिI desire/wish

प्रेतभावानुगम्accompanying the state of the departed (funerary/for the dead)

वसुwealth/treasure

हतपुत्रौhaving slain sons / bereft of sons

इमौthese two

वृद्धौtwo old men/elders

विदित्वाhaving known/understood

दुःखितौsorrowful

तथाthus/so

इतिthus (quotative)

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

sons (the Kaurava princes collectively)

wealth (vasu)

the departed/dead (preta)

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?

Even after catastrophic wrongdoing and loss, one should turn toward dharmic repair: acknowledging the cause (ruinous gambling), accepting grief without denial, and performing appropriate duties for the dead through rightful gifts and rites.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Āśramavāsika context, Dhṛtarāṣṭra expresses a wish to make offerings/charitable gifts of wealth suitable for the departed, on behalf of the sons lost due to the chain of events set in motion by the disastrous dice-game, while recognizing the sorrow of the two aged parents.