Shloka 115

Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ

King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt

Devanagari script

पाण्डोस्तु जज्ञिरे पज्च पुत्रा देवसमा: पृथक्‌ । द्वयो: स्त्रियोर्गुणज्येष्ठस्तेषामासीद्‌ युधिष्ठिर:

Transliteration

pāṇḍos tu jajñire pañca putrā devasamāḥ pṛthak | dvayoḥ striyor guṇajyeṣṭhas teṣām āsīd yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||

Translation

ਪਾਂਡੂ ਦੀਆਂ ਦੋ ਪਤਨੀਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਵੱਖ-ਵੱਖ ਪੰਜ ਪੁੱਤਰ ਜੰਮੇ; ਸਭ ਦੇਵਤੁਲ੍ਯ ਸਨ। ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦੋਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਪੁੱਤਰਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਯੁਧਿਸ਼ਠਿਰ ਜੇਠਾ ਅਤੇ ਗੁਣਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਰਵੋਤਮ ਸੀ—ਧਰਮ ਅਤੇ ਰਾਜਧਰਮ ਨੂੰ ਧਾਰਨ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲੀਆਂ ਨੇਕੀਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਗੇਵਾਨ।

Word by Word

• पाण्डोः: of Pāṇḍu
• पाण्डोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• जज्ञिरे: were born
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Plural, Ātmanepada

• पञ्च: five
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पुत्राः: sons
• पुत्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• देवसमाः: equal to the gods, godlike
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देव-सम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पृथक्: separately, individually
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक्

• द्वयोः: of two
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Dual

• स्त्रियोः: of (the) two women/wives
• स्त्रियोः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Dual

• गुणज्येष्ठः: foremost in virtues
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुण-ज्येष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तेषाम्: of them
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• आसीत्: was
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

दाश उवाच

Characters & Entities

• दाश (Daśa)
• पाण्डु (Pāṇḍu)
• युधिष्ठिर (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• पाण्डवाः (the five Pāṇḍavas, implied)
• देवाः (the gods, as comparison)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that true seniority is not merely by birth but by guṇa—ethical excellence. Yudhiṣṭhira is presented as the model of dharma-based leadership, where virtue legitimizes authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

Daśa continues the genealogical account: Pāṇḍu’s two wives bear five sons, each ‘godlike’ and born separately (alluding to distinct divine begetters). Among them, Yudhiṣṭhira is identified as the eldest and foremost in virtues.