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Shloka 26

द्रुपदवाक्यं

Drupada’s Counsel on Conciliation and Alliance Mobilization

Devanagari script

यथा दुर्योधनो वाच्यो यथा शान्तनवो नृप: । धृतराष्ट्रो यथा वाच्यो द्रोणश्व॒ रथिनां वर:

Transliteration

yathā duryodhano vācyaḥ yathā śāntanavo nṛpaḥ | dhṛtarāṣṭro yathā vācyaḥ droṇaś ca rathināṃ varaḥ ||

Translation

Drupada berkata: “Hendaklah Duryodhana ditegur dengan cara yang wajar; demikian juga raja, putera Śāntanu. Dhṛtarāṣṭra pun hendaklah disapa sebagaimana patut, dan Droṇa juga—yang terunggul antara para pahlawan kereta perang.”

Word by Word

यथाas, just as

दुर्योधनःDuryodhana

वाच्यःto be called/said (is to be called)

यथाas, just as

शान्तनवःson/descendant of Śantanu (Bhīṣma or a Śāntanu-line prince, contextually)

नृपःking

धृतराष्ट्रःDhṛtarāṣṭra

यथाas, just as

वाच्यःto be called/said (is to be called)

द्रोणःDroṇa

चand

रथिनाम्of chariot-warriors

वरःbest, foremost

Speaker

दुपद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Drupada

Duryodhana

Bhishma (Śāntanava)

Dhritarashtra

Drona

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?

Even amid political conflict, dharma requires measured, appropriate speech—addressing each person according to status and role, so that counsel and negotiation do not collapse into insult or disorder.

What is happening in the narrative?

Drupada is giving guidance on how key Kuru figures—Duryodhana, Bhīṣma, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Droṇa—should be addressed, emphasizing protocol and propriety as part of the larger diplomatic and war-time deliberations in Udyoga Parva.