Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अकाल एकचत्वारिशो< ध्याय: राजा युधिष्ठिरका धृतराष्ट्रके अधीन रहकर राज्यकी व्यवस्थाके लिये भाइयों तथा अन्य लोगोंको विभिन्न कार्योंपर नियुक्त करना वैशम्पायन उवाच प्रकृतीनां च तद्‌ वाक्‍्यं देशकालोपबंंहितम्‌ । श्र॒ुत्वा युधिष्ठिरो राजा चोत्तरं प्रत्यभाषत,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! मन्त्री, प्रजा आदिके उस देशकालोचित वचनको सुनकर राजा युधिष्ठिरने उसका उत्तर देते हुए कहा--

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: prakṛtīnāṃ ca tad vākyaṃ deśa-kālopabṛṃhitam | śrutvā yudhiṣṭhiro rājā cottaraṃ pratyabhāṣata ||

Translation

വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ജനമേജയാ! മന്ത്രിമാരും പ്രജകളും മുതലായ പ്രകൃതിജനങ്ങളുടെ ദേശ-കാലോചിതമായ ആ ഉപദേശം കേട്ട ശേഷം രാജാവ് യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ മറുപടി പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

प्रकृतीनाम्of the ministers/constituents (of the state)

चand

तत्that

वाक्यम्speech/statement

देशकालोपबृंहितम्strengthened/qualified by place and time; appropriate to place and time

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

युधिष्ठिरःYudhishthira

राजाthe king

चand

उत्तरम्reply/answer

प्रतिin return; towards

अभाषतspoke; replied

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira

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?

Good governance is dharmic when it is guided by attentive listening and by counsel suited to deśa (place) and kāla (time). The verse highlights contextual judgment rather than rigid rule-following.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that King Yudhiṣṭhira hears the context-appropriate advice of the kingdom’s constituents (ministers and others) and then begins to respond, setting up the ensuing discussion on administration and righteous rule.