Shloka 9

Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances

Devanagari script

ततः प्रत्यागतः कृष्णो धार्तराष्ट्रविसर्जित: । अक्रियायां नरव्यापत्र पाण्डवानिदमब्रवीत्‌,नरव्याप्र! कार्य न होनेपर धृतराष्ट्रसे विदा ले वहाँसे लौटे हुए श्रीकृष्णने पाण्डवोंसे इस प्रकार कहा--

Transliteration

tataḥ pratyāgataḥ kṛṣṇo dhārtarāṣṭra-visarjitaḥ | akriyāyāṁ nara-vyāghra pāṇḍavān idam abravīt ||

Translation

Kemudian Kṛṣṇa, setelah memohon diri daripada Dhṛtarāṣṭra dan kembali kerana tiada tindakan yang berkesan dapat dicapai, berkata kepada para Pāṇḍava demikian, wahai harimau di antara manusia. Bait ini menonjolkan kekecewaan etika apabila nasihat tidak melahirkan tindakan yang benar, serta keperluan untuk kembali kepada pihak sendiri dan berkata dengan terus terang apabila perantaraan tidak membuahkan hasil.

Word by Word

ततःthen; thereafter

प्रत्यागतःreturned

कृष्णःKrishna

धार्तराष्ट्र-विसर्जितःdismissed by Dhritarashtra / having taken leave from Dhritarashtra

अक्रियायाम्when there was no action; in the absence of accomplishment

नर-व्याघ्रO tiger among men

पाण्डवान्the Pandavas

इदम्this

अब्रवीत्said; spoke

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kṛṣṇa

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Pāṇḍavas

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?

When righteous counsel fails to move a ruler to action, one must recognize the limits of persuasion and return to one’s duty—speaking truthfully to one’s own side and preparing for the consequences of inaction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kṛṣṇa has returned after meeting Dhṛtarāṣṭra; since no practical outcome was achieved, he comes back and begins addressing the Pāṇḍavas, setting up the next portion of the narration.