Shloka 4

Devanagari script

यदाहारो5भवद्‌ राजा धृतराष्ट्री महामना: । तदाहारा नृवीरास्ते न्यवसंस्तां निशां तदा,महामनस्वी राजा धृतराष्ट्रने जिस वस्तुका आहार किया था, उसी वस्तुका आहार उस रातमें उन नरवीर पाण्डवोंने भी किया था

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

yad āhāro 'bhavad rājā dhṛtarāṣṭrī mahāmanāḥ |

tadāhārā nṛvīrās te nyavasan tāṃ niśāṃ tadā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana disse: Qualquer que fosse o alimento tomado pelo nobre rei Dhṛtarāṣṭra, desse mesmo sustento viveram também naquela noite os heroicos Pāṇḍavas—partilhando sua frugal comida com solidariedade e contenção.

Word by Word

यत्what (that which)

आहारःfood, intake

अभवत्was, became

राजाking

धृतराष्ट्रस्यof Dhṛtarāṣṭra

महामनाःgreat-minded

तत्that (same)

आहाराःhaving (that) food; eaters of (that)

नृवीराःheroes among men

तेthey

न्यवसन्dwelt, stayed (spent the night)

ताम्that (night)

निशाम्night

तदाthen, at that time

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Pāṇḍavas

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?

The verse highlights ethical solidarity and humility: the Pāṇḍavas do not seek special treatment but accept the same austere food as the aged Dhṛtarāṣṭra, embodying restraint and reconciliation after conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the forest-dwelling phase of the elders, Dhṛtarāṣṭra takes a certain simple meal; the Pāṇḍavas, present with him, spend that night subsisting on exactly the same food.