Shloka 11

Devanagari script

अथाब्रवीन्महाराजो गान्धारीं धर्मदर्शिनीम्‌ । अन्त: काम॑ कुलस्यास्तु न शक्‍नोमि निवारितुम्‌,तब महाराज धूृतराष्ट्रने धर्मपर दृष्टि रखनेवाली गान्धारीसे कहा--“देवि! इस कुलका अन्त भले ही हो जाय, परंतु मैं दुर्योधनको रोक नहीं सकता

Transliteration

athābravīn mahārājo gāndhārīṃ dharmadarśinīm | antaḥ kāmaṃ kulasyāstu na śaknomi nivāritum ||

Translation

ତାପରେ ମହାରାଜ ଧୃତରାଷ୍ଟ୍ର ଧର୍ମଦର୍ଶିନୀ ଗାନ୍ଧାରୀଙ୍କୁ କହିଲେ—“ଦେବି! ଏହି କୁଳର ଅନ୍ତ ହେଉ ଯଦି ହେଉ; କିନ୍ତୁ ମୁଁ ଦୁର୍ଯ୍ୟୋଧନକୁ ନିବାରି ପାରୁନି।”

Word by Word

अथthen

अब्रवीत्said/spoke

महाराजःthe great king

गान्धारीम्Gandhārī

धर्मदर्शिनीम्who sees/knows dharma; righteous-minded

अन्तःend, destruction

कामःdesired/acceptable (thing); wish

कुलस्यof the family/clan

अस्तुlet it be / may it be

नnot

शक्नोमिI am able

निवारितुम्to restrain/stop

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Gāndhārī

Duryodhana

Kuru kula

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?

Knowing dharma is insufficient without the strength to act on it; a ruler’s failure to restrain wrongdoing—especially within one’s own family—becomes complicity and can bring ruin upon the whole lineage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports that Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses Gandhārī and admits he cannot stop Duryodhana, even if that inability leads to the destruction of the Kuru family.