Shloka 49
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
जनन्या समुपाघ्राता: परिष्वक्ताश्न ते नृपम् । चक्कुः प्रदक्षिणं सर्वे वत्सा इव निवारणे
jananyā samupāghrātāḥ pariṣvaktāś ca te nṛpam | cakṣuḥ pradakṣiṇaṃ sarve vatsā iva nivāraṇe ||
त्या स्त्रिया मातेजवळ येऊन स्नेहाने तिचे मस्तक हुंगून व तिला आलिंगन देऊन, हे नृपा! सर्वांनी आदराने तुमच्याकडे दृष्टी केली—जणू गोठ्यात वासरे आपल्या आईभोवती प्रदक्षिणा घालतात.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic tenderness and social ethics: affection and reverence are expressed through intimate gestures (smelling, embracing) and respectful attention toward rightful authority, portraying care, humility, and relational duty as virtues.
Yudhiṣṭhira describes a scene where people—especially women—approach their mother figure with affection, embrace her, and then look respectfully toward the king, compared to calves gathering around their mother in an enclosure.