Shloka 13

Droṇācārya’s Assessment of the Pāṇḍavas: Nīti, Kāla, and Intelligence (विराटपर्व, अध्याय २६)

Devanagari script

अथाग्रजानन्तरज: पापभावानुरागवान्‌ | ज्येष्ठं दुःशासनस्तत्र भ्राता भ्रातरमब्रवीत्‌,तदनन्तर सदा पापभावनामें अनुरक्त रहनेवाला दुर्योधनसे छोटा भाई दुःशासन अपने बड़े भाईसे बोला--

Transliteration

athāgrajānantara-jaḥ pāpabhāvānurāgavān | jyeṣṭhaṃ duḥśāsanas tatra bhrātā bhrātaram abravīt ||

Translation

ແລ້ວຕໍ່ມາ ທຸຫສາສະນະ—ນ້ອງຊາຍທີ່ເກີດຕາມຫຼັງພີ່ໃຫຍ່ ແລະມັກຍຶດຕິດກັບໃຈບາບ—ໄດ້ກ່າວກັບພີ່ຊາຍຜູ້ໃຫຍ່ຂອງຕົນຢູ່ທີ່ນັ້ນ. ຄຳບັນຍາຍນີ້ຊີ້ໃຫ້ເຫັນວ່າ ຄວາມເສື່ອມຊົ່ວທາງສິນທຳທີ່ເປັນນິໄສ ແລະຄວາມລຳອຽງໃນວົງຍາດ ຜັກດັນໃຫ້ເກີດຄຳແນະນຳອັນອັນຕະລາຍ ແລະເຮັດໃຫ້ອະທັມລຶກລົງອີກ.

Word by Word

अथthen

अग्रज-अनन्तरजःthe younger brother of the elder (i.e., the one born after the elder)

पापभाव-अनुरागवान्having attachment to evil-mindedness

ज्येष्ठम्the eldest (brother)

दुःशासनःDuhshasana

तत्रthere

भ्राताthe brother

भ्रातरम्to (his) brother

अब्रवीत्said/spoke

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Duḥśāsana

Duryodhana

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?

The verse frames Duḥśāsana as driven by pāpa-bhāva (a corrupt moral disposition) and attachment, implying that counsel arising from such inner tendencies leads one’s community—especially family—toward adharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Duḥśāsana, Duryodhana’s younger brother, speaks to his elder brother, setting up the content of his advice or provocation in the surrounding passage.