Shloka 19

Devanagari script

वध्यतां साध्वयं पाप: सामात्य इति दुर्मति: । पुत्रस्नेहाभिभूतस्तु हितमुक्तो मनीषिभि:

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca |

vadhyatāṃ sādhv ayaṃ pāpaḥ sāmātya iti durmatiḥ |

putrasnehābhibhūtas tu hitam ukto manīṣibhiḥ ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Sesungguhnya si pendosa yang berakal jahat ini sepatutnya dihukum mati—bersama para menterinya. Namun, ditundukkan oleh kasih sayang terhadap anakku, aku menolak nasihat yang baik yang diucapkan oleh para bijaksana.”

Word by Word

वध्यताम्let (him) be killed

साधुwell; rightly; good

अयम्this (man)

पापःsinful; wicked

सामात्यःtogether with his ministers/retinue

इतिthus; so (quotative)

दुर्मतिःthe evil-minded one; the fool

पुत्रस्नेहाभिभूतःovercome by affection for (his) son

तुbut; however

हितम्what is beneficial; welfare

उक्तःhaving been told; advised

मनीषिभिःby the wise men

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

his son (Duryodhana implied)

ministers/counsellors (āmātya)

the wise (manīṣin)

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?

The verse highlights how parental attachment (putra-sneha) can overpower discernment and lead a ruler to reject wise, beneficial counsel (hita) even when justice demands firm action; it frames moral failure as a choice against dharma under the pressure of personal bonds.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on his past failure: although the wicked person (implicitly his son Duryodhana) deserved punishment—even along with his circle of ministers—Dhṛtarāṣṭra, driven by affection, did not accept the advice given by wise counsellors, and now voices remorse.