Shloka 12

विदुरस्य कृष्णं प्रति शमोपदेशः

Vidura’s Counsel to Krishna on the Limits of Peace

Devanagari script

ततो दुर्योधन: कृष्णमब्रवीत्‌ कुरुसंसदि

Transliteration

tato duryodhanaḥ kṛṣṇam abravīt kurusaṃsadi

Translation

मग कुरुसभेत दुर्योधनाने श्रीकृष्णांना संबोधून बोलला।

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable)

• दुर्योधनः: Duryodhana
• दुर्योधनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्योधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृष्णम्: Krishna
• कृष्णम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अब्रवीत्: said, spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कुरुसंसदि: in the Kuru assembly
• कुरुसंसदि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुसंसद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Kṛṣṇa
• Kuru assembly (Kuru-saṃsad)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Public speech in a royal assembly is not merely political; it is ethically charged. The verse frames a confrontation between power-driven intent (Duryodhana) and dharma-informed counsel (Kṛṣṇa), highlighting how decisions made before the court shape collective fate.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports that Duryodhana, in the Kuru court, begins speaking directly to Kṛṣṇa. This signals the start (or continuation) of a crucial exchange in which Kṛṣṇa’s role as envoy/adviser meets Duryodhana’s stance in the lead-up to war.