Shloka 2

याज्ञसेनी-प्रश्नः

Draupadī’s Question in the Assembly

Devanagari script

विदुर उवाच महाराज विजानीहि यतृ्‌ त्वां वक्ष्यामि भारत । मुमूर्षोरौषधमिव न रोचेतापि ते श्रुतम्‌

Transliteration

vidura uvāca mahārāja vijānīhi yat tvāṁ vakṣyāmi bhārata | mumūrṣor auṣadham iva na rocetāpi te śrutam ||

Translation

Vidura disse: “Ó grande rei, ó Bharata, compreende bem o que estou prestes a dizer-te. Ainda que minhas palavras, embora ouvidas por ti, não te agradem—como o remédio não parece agradável a quem está à beira da morte—, escuta e apreende o seu sentido.”

Word by Word

• {'vidura uvāca': 'Vidura said', 'mahārāja': 'O great king', 'vijānīhi': 'know, understand clearly (imperative)', 'yat': 'that which', 'tvām': 'to you', 'vakṣyāmi': 'I will speak, I will tell', 'bhārata': 'O descendant of Bharata (address to the king)', 'mumūrṣoḥ': 'of one who is about to die

• one near death', 'auṣadham': 'medicine, remedy', 'iva': 'like, as', 'na': 'not', 'roceta': 'would be pleasing/agreeable', 'api': 'even, although', 'te': 'to you/your', 'śrutam': 'heard

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address 'mahārāja')
• Bharata lineage

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Truthful, dharma-based counsel may feel unpleasant to a ruler blinded by attachment or impending ruin; nevertheless, it must be heard and understood, like bitter medicine that alone can cure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura begins a serious admonition to the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), warning that his forthcoming advice may not be pleasing, yet urging him to listen carefully because the situation is morally and politically dangerous.