Shloka 39

शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच एतच्छुत्वा वच: क्रूरं धृतराष्ट्रो जनेश्वर:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca etac chrutvā vacaḥ krūraṃ dhṛtarāṣṭro janeśvaraḥ

Translation

വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഈ ക്രൂരവചനങ്ങൾ കേട്ടപ്പോൾ ജനേശ്വരനായ ധൃതരാഷ്ട്രൻ (ആഴത്തിൽ വിറങ്ങലിച്ചു).

Word by Word

• वैशम्पायनः: Vaiśampāyana
• वैशम्पायनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशम्पायन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund), Parasmaipada

• वचः: speech; words
• वचः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• क्रूरम्: cruel
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रूर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• धृतराष्ट्रः: Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• धृतराष्ट्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृतराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जन-ईश्वरः: lord of men; king
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनेश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of speech: harsh words (krūra vacaḥ) intensify suffering and can become a moral turning point, especially for a ruler who must face the consequences of prior choices.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśampāyana reports that Dhṛtarāṣṭra hears some cruel or cutting statement spoken just before this line; the verse sets up Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s ensuing emotional and narrative response.