Shloka 23

Bhāgīrathī-tīra-śauca, Kurukṣetra-gamana, and Śatayūpa-āśrama-dīkṣā (गङ्गातीरशौच–कुरुक्षेत्रगमन–शतयूपाश्रमदीक्षा)

Devanagari script

अभिजज्ञे महाबुद्धि महाबुद्धिर्युधिछ्िर:

Transliteration

abhijajñe mahābuddhiṁ mahābuddhir yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | sa bahu-durbalo jātaḥ śarīra-dhātra-mātraḥ | etāvatā tasya jīvitam iti sūcitaṁ babhūva | parama-buddhimān rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ tān mahābuddhimān viduraṁ pratyabhijānāt ||

Translation

ໄວສຳປາຍະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ພະຣາຊາ ຢຸທິສຖິຣະ ຜູ້ມີປັນຍາສູງສຸດ ໄດ້ຈຳແນກຮູ້ ວິດຸຣະ ຜູ້ມີໃຈໃຫຍ່. ວິດຸຣະ ອ່ອນແອຫນັກຫນ່ວງ—ຮ່າງກາຍເຫຼືອແຕ່ໂຄງ ແລະມີພຽງເທົ່ານັ້ນທີ່ພໍໃຫ້ຮູ້ວ່າຊີວິດຍັງຄົງຢູ່. ແຕ່ຢຸທິສຖິຣະ ດ້ວຍການພິຈາລະນາແລະຄວາມເຄົາລົບຕໍ່ທຳ ໄດ້ຮູ້ຈັກທ່ານ ແລະເຂົ້າໃຈຄວາມຫນັກໜ່ວງຂອງສະພາບນັ້ນ.

Word by Word

• अभिजज्ञे: recognized
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√ज्ञा
• Form: LiT (Perfect), Parasmaipada, 3, Singular

• महाबुद्धिः: the very intelligent (one)
• महाबुद्धिः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबुद्धि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महाबुद्धिः: the very intelligent (one)
• महाबुद्धिः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबुद्धि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Vidura

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True wisdom includes the ability to recognize dharmic greatness even when external signs—strength, status, or appearance—have faded. The passage highlights reverence for virtue and the ethical sensitivity to human frailty and mortality.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira encounters Vidura in a severely weakened state. Though Vidura is barely alive and physically reduced to a mere frame, Yudhiṣṭhira recognizes him, marking a poignant moment in the forest-ascetic phase of the epic.