Shloka 6

Daitya-āśvāsana of Duryodhana; Karṇa’s assurance and the mobilization of the Kaurava host

Devanagari script

धृतराष्ट उवाच मृगया शोभना तात गवां हि समवेक्षणम्‌ । विश्रम्भस्तु न गन्तव्यो बल्‍लवानामिति स्मरे,धृतराष्ट्र बोले--तात! हिंसक पशुओंका शिकार खेलनेका प्रस्ताव सुन्दर है। गौओंकी देख-भालका काम भी अच्छा ही है; परंतु ग्वालोंकी बातोंपर विश्वास नहीं करना चाहिये, यह नीतिका वचन है, जिसका मुझे स्मरण हो आया है

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | mṛgayā śobhanā tāta gavāṃ hi samavekṣaṇam | viśrambhas tu na gantavyo ballavānām iti smare |

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra disse: “Meu filho, a proposta de caçar é de fato atraente, e a tarefa de supervisionar o gado também é louvável. Contudo, recordo uma máxima da arte de governar: não se deve confiar em vaqueiros.”

Word by Word

{'dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca''Dhṛtarāṣṭra said', 'mṛgayā': 'hunting

the chase', 'śobhanā''beautiful

commendable', 'tāta''dear son

a term of address', 'gavām''of cows

of cattle', 'samavekṣaṇam''watching over

inspection', 'viśrambhaḥ''trust

reliance', 'na gantavyaḥ''should not be placed/extended (lit. ‘not to be gone to’)', 'ballavānām': 'of cowherds

herdsmen', 'iti''thus

so (quotative)', 'smare''I remember

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

cattle (cows)

cowherds (ballava)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when an activity appears appealing or useful, one should apply prudence in whom one trusts; Dhṛtarāṣṭra recalls a nīti-saying warning against uncritical reliance on certain agents (here, cowherds).

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra responds to a suggestion involving hunting and cattle-related oversight, approving the activities in principle but adding a cautionary reminder drawn from remembered political-ethical counsel.