Shloka 26

धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा—व्यासोपदेशः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and Vyāsa’s Counsel

Devanagari script

धृतराष्ट्रस्य पुत्राणां यस्तु ज्येष्ठ: शतस्य वै | दुर्योधन इति ख्यातः स ते कार्य करिष्यति

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭrasya putrāṇāṃ yastu jyeṣṭhaḥ śatasya vai | duryodhana iti khyātaḥ sa te kārya kariṣyati ||

Translation

Dalam kalangan putera-putera Dhṛtarāṣṭra, yang sulung benar di antara seratus itu—yang terkenal dengan nama Duryodhana—dialah yang akan melaksanakan maksudmu.

Word by Word

धृतराष्ट्रस्यof Dhṛtarāṣṭra

पुत्राणामof the sons

यःwho

तुindeed/but

ज्येष्ठःeldest

शतस्यof the hundred

वैindeed/truly

दुर्योधनःDuryodhana

इतिthus (as)

ख्यातःknown/called

सःhe

तेto you/for you

कार्यthe task/what is to be done

करिष्यतिwill do/perform

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Duryodhana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how leadership concentrates moral responsibility: the eldest and most influential figure (Duryodhana) becomes the primary agent who executes intentions, so the ethical quality of plans and choices matters greatly when power is centralized.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa identifies Duryodhana as the eldest among Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s hundred sons and indicates that he will be the one to carry out the intended task or plan, emphasizing Duryodhana’s decisive role among the Kauravas.