Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 7

धृतराष्ट्रस्य वंशोपदेशः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Dynastic Counsel on Legitimate Rule

Devanagari script

ततः सर्वा: प्रजास्तात धृतराष्ट्रं जनेश्वरम्‌ । अन्वपद्यन्त विधिवद्‌ यथा पाण्डुं जनाधिपम्‌

Transliteration

tataḥ sarvāḥ prajāstā́ta dhṛtarāṣṭraṁ janeśvaram | anvapadyanta vidhivad yathā pāṇḍuṁ janādhipam ||

Translation

Затем, милый мой, все подданные должным образом подчинились Дхритараштре, владыке народа, так же как прежде следовали царю Панду. Стих утверждает нравственный идеал упорядоченной гражданской верности: когда власть переходит надлежащим образом, общество ищет устойчивости, придерживаясь законного государя согласно установленным нормам.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः
• Form: adverb

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: feminine, nominative, plural

• प्रजाः: subjects, people
• प्रजाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा
• Form: feminine, nominative, plural

• तात: O dear (father/son), O dear one
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• धृतराष्ट्रम्: Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• धृतराष्ट्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृतराष्ट्र
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• जन-ईश्वरम्: lord of the people
• जन-ईश्वरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनेश्वर
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• अन्वपद्यन्त: followed, went after, became subject to
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + पद्
• Form: imperfect (laṅ), third, plural, parasmaipada

• विधिवत्: according to rule, duly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधिवत्
• Form: adverb

• यथा: as, just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा
• Form: conjunction/adverb

• पाण्डुम्: Pāṇḍu
• पाण्डुम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डु
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• जन-अधिपम्: ruler of the people
• जन-अधिपम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनाधिप
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Pāṇḍu
• prajāḥ (the subjects/people)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights rajadharma and social ethics: when authority is established in a proper, rule-governed way (vidhivat), the people maintain stability by duly accepting and following the sovereign, as they did under the previous righteous ruler.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva states that after the relevant transition of power, all the subjects came to follow Dhṛtarāṣṭra as their ruler, in the same orderly manner in which they had earlier followed King Pāṇḍu.