Shloka 496

अध्याय ९ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति राजनित्युपदेशः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Royal Policy to Yudhiṣṭhira

Devanagari script

कुरु कार्याणि धर्म्याणि नमस्ते पुरुषर्षभ । “अत: पुरुषप्रवर महाराज! आप युधिष्ठिरकी ओरसे अपने मानसिक दुःखको हटाकर धार्मिक कार्योंके अनुष्ठानममें लग जाइये। आपको समस्त प्रजाका नमस्कार है”

Transliteration

kuru kāryāṇi dharmyāṇi namas te puruṣarṣabha |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Laksanakanlah perbuatan yang selaras dengan dharma. Sembah sujud kepadamu, wahai lembu jantan di antara manusia.”

Word by Word

• कुरु: do / perform
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), 2, singular, परस्मैपद

• कार्याणि: deeds; tasks
• कार्याणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: neuter, accusative, plural

• धर्म्याणि: righteous; in accordance with dharma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: neuter, accusative, plural

• नमः: salutation; homage
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: —, dative, singular

• पुरुषर्षभ: O bull among men; best of men
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुषर्षभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• puruṣarṣabha (honorific for the addressed king/hero)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid mental sorrow, one should return to dharmic duties; righteous action and responsibility are presented as the proper ethical response rather than withdrawal into grief.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates a respectful exhortation addressed to a foremost man/king, urging him to undertake righteous works and offering salutations—reflecting counsel given in the aftermath of suffering and royal responsibility.