Shloka 11

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization

Devanagari script

गृद्धों राजा धृतराष्ट्र: स्वधर्म नानुपश्यति । वश्यत्वात्‌ पुत्रगृद्धित्वान्मन्दस्यान्वेति शासनम्‌,परंतु राजा धृतराष्ट्र तो लोभमें डूबे हुए हैं। वे अपने धर्मकी ओर नहीं देखते हैं। पुत्रोंमें आसक्त होकर सदा उन्हींके अधीन रहनेके कारण वे अपने मूर्ख पुत्र दुर्योधनकी ही आज्ञाका अनुसरण करते हैं

Transliteration

gṛddho rājā dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ svadharma nānupaśyati | vaśyatvāt putragṛddhitvān mandasyānveti śāsanam ||

Translation

യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ പറഞ്ഞു—രാജാവ് ധൃതരാഷ്ട്രൻ ലോഭത്തിൽ മുങ്ങി തന്റെ ധർമ്മം ഇനി കാണുന്നില്ല. പുത്രാസക്തിയുടെ അടിമയായി, മൂഢനായ തന്റെ പുത്രൻ ദുര്യോധനന്റെ കല്പനയേ എന്നും പിന്തുടരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• {'gṛddhaḥ': 'greedy

• consumed by desire', 'rājā': 'king', 'dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ': 'Dhṛtarāṣṭra (the Kuru king, father of the Kauravas)', 'svadharma': 'one’s own duty/righteous conduct appropriate to one’s role', 'na anupaśyati (nānupaśyati)': 'does not see/recognize

• fails to discern', 'vaśyatvāt': 'because of being under control

• due to subservience', 'putragṛddhitvāt': 'because of greed/over-attachment for (his) sons', 'mandasya': 'of the dull-witted/foolish one', 'ānveti': 'follows

• complies with', 'śāsanam': 'command

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Duryodhana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler who becomes captive to greed and attachment—especially attachment to family—loses discernment of svadharma and ends up governed by unworthy counsel, leading to ethical and political collapse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira criticizes Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s failure to act as an impartial king: out of attachment to his sons, he submits to Duryodhana’s will instead of upholding dharma and restraining wrongdoing.