Shloka 21

Devanagari script

प्रजाभि: सह संगम्य हानुशोचन्ति नित्यश: । अन्निहोत्राणि सायाह्ले न चाहूयन्त सर्वश:

Transliteration

prajābhiḥ saha saṅgamya hānuśocanti nityaśaḥ | agnihotrāṇi sāyāhle na cāhūyante sarvaśaḥ ||

Translation

ധൃതരാഷ്ട്രൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“പ്രജകളോടൊപ്പം ഒന്നിച്ചുകൂടി അവർ നിരന്തരം ദുഃഖിക്കുന്നു. സായാഹ്നസമയത്ത് എല്ലായിടത്തും അഗ്നിഹോത്രകർമ്മങ്ങൾ യഥാവിധി ആഹ്വാനിക്കപ്പെടുകയും നിർവഹിക്കപ്പെടുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നില്ല.”

Word by Word

प्रजाभिःwith the subjects/people

सहtogether/with

संगम्यhaving met/assembled

हाalas!

अनुशोचन्तिthey lament/keep grieving

नित्यशःalways/constantly

अग्निहोत्राणिAgnihotra rites/fire-offerings

सायाह्नेin the evening

नnot

चand

आहूयन्तेare invoked/called (performed by invocation)

सर्वशःaltogether/in every way

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

prajā (subjects/people)

Agnihotra (Vedic fire-rite)

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?

When society is shaken by fear and wrongdoing, both public morale and sacred duties decline; the neglect of daily rites like Agnihotra signals a breakdown of dharma and the king’s responsibility to uphold order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra reports signs of distress in the realm: people assemble and mourn continually, and even the regular evening Agnihotra rituals are not being properly invoked or carried out, indicating widespread disruption.