Shloka 11

Devanagari script

कीदृशा: संनिकर्षस्था भृत्या: सर्वगुणान्विता: । कीदृशै: कि कुलीनैर्वा सह यात्रा विधीयते,कैसे सर्वगुणसम्पन्न सेवक राजाके निकट रहने चाहिये और किस कुलमें उत्पन्न हुए कैसे सैनिकोंके साथ राजाको युद्धकी यात्रा करनी चाहिये?

Transliteration

kīdṛśāḥ saṃnikarṣasthā bhṛtyāḥ sarvaguṇānvitāḥ | kīdṛśaiḥ kiṃ kulīnair vā saha yātrā vidhīyate ||

Translation

Юдхиштхира спросил: «Каких слуг и приближённых, наделённых всеми добродетелями, следует держать рядом? И с какими людьми, и какого благородного происхождения, царю надлежит выступать в военный поход?»

Word by Word

कीदृशाःof what kind?

संनिकर्षस्थाःsituated in close proximity

भृत्याःservants/retainers

सर्वगुणान्विताःendowed with all virtues/qualities

कीदृशैःwith/of what kind (persons)?

किम्what? (or: whether)

कुलीनैःwith well-born/noble (men)

वाor

सहtogether with

यात्राjourney/expedition (march)

विधीयतेis arranged/should be undertaken

Speaker

युधिषछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

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 frames a rājadharma inquiry: a king’s success and moral safety depend on choosing close attendants of proven virtue and selecting suitable companions for military expeditions—emphasizing character, reliability, and proper social standing as safeguards for governance and warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Yudhiṣṭhira asks for guidance about whom a king should keep near and with what kind of well-born, capable men he should set out on a warlike campaign, seeking norms for prudent and ethical rule.