Shloka 18

Devanagari script

तत्र वृद्धो महामात्रस्सिद्धार्थो नाम नामतः।शुचिर्बहुमतो राज्ञः कैकेयी मिदमब्रवीत्।।।।

Transliteration

tatra vṛddho mahāmātraḥ siddhārtho nāma nāmataḥ | śucir bahumato rājñaḥ kaikeyīm idam abravīt ||2.36.18||

Translation

Di sana ada seorang mahamenteri yang lanjut usia, bernama Siddhārtha, suci perilakunya dan sangat dihormati oleh raja; beliau berkata demikian kepada Kaikeyī.

Word by Word

तत्रthere

वृद्धःaged

महामात्रःchief minister

सिद्धार्थःSiddhartha (name)

नामnamed

नामतःby name

शुचिःpure

बहुमतःfavoured

राज्ञःof the king

कैकेयीम्Kaikeyi

इदम्this

अब्रवीत्said/spoke

Context

An aged minister named Siddhartha who justified his name, highly respected by the king said this to Kaikeyi:

Characters & Entities

Siddhārtha

Kaikeyī

King (unnamed in this verse)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

The verse foregrounds the dharmic role of a pure and respected minister: righteous counsel should come from integrity (śuci) and public trust, especially in matters affecting the royal household and the realm.

What is the narrative situation?

The text introduces an elderly high minister named Siddhārtha, setting the scene for his address to Queen Kaikeyī within the unfolding Ayodhyā court crisis.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Ministerial integrity and credibility—purity of conduct (śuci) and being esteemed for sound judgment—are emphasized as prerequisites for advising in state and family ethics.