Shloka 25

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

Devanagari script

चतुर्थे नियते काले कदाचिदपि चाष्टमे

Transliteration

caturthe niyate kāle kadācid api cāṣṭame, kevalaṃ bubhukṣāgninivṛttyai alpaṃ āhāraṃ karomi; etan mama niyamaṃ kevalaṃ gāndhārī devī jānāti, anye tu sarve manyante yathāhaṃ pratidinaṃ pūrṇa-bhojanaṃ karomi.

Translation

ಧೃತರಾಷ್ಟ್ರನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—“ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ನಾನು ನಿಗದಿತ ನಾಲ್ಕನೇ ಪ್ರಹರದಲ್ಲೇ ಆಹಾರವನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತೇನೆ, ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಎಂಟನೇ ಪ್ರಹರದಲ್ಲೇ—ಹಸಿವಿನ ಅಗ್ನಿಯನ್ನು ಶಮನಗೊಳಿಸಲು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಮಾತ್ರ ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತೇನೆ. ನನ್ನ ಈ ನಿಯಮವನ್ನು ರಾಣಿ ಗಾಂಧಾರಿ ಮಾತ್ರವೇ ತಿಳಿದಿದ್ದಾಳೆ; ಇತರ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ನಾನು ಪ್ರತಿದಿನ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಭೋಜನ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇನೆ ಎಂದು ಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ।”

Word by Word

• चतुर्थे: on the fourth
• चतुर्थे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• नियते: fixed/appointed
• नियते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नियत
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• काले: time
• काले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• कदाचित्: sometimes
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित्

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

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

• अष्टमे: on the eighth
• अष्टमे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टम
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Gāndhārī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights tapas through regulated restraint: food is taken only to sustain life, not for indulgence. It also raises an ethical nuance—inner discipline may be private, yet concealment from others can create a gap between appearance and reality.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Āśramavāsika setting, Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes his austere routine: he eats only occasionally and in small quantity to quiet hunger. He notes that only Gāndhārī is aware of this vow, while others assume he eats normally each day.