Mahabharata 1.204.25 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 204, Shloka 25

Tilottamā, Sunda–Upasunda, and the Pāṇḍava Samaya (Ādi Parva 204)

Devanagari script

ट्रुपदो5पि महान्‌ राजा कृतवैरश्न नः पुरा । तस्य संग्रहणं राजन्‌ स्वपक्षस्य विवर्धनम्‌

Transliteration

trupado 'pi mahān rājā kṛtavairaś ca naḥ purā | tasya saṅgrahaṇaṃ rājan svapakṣasya vivardhanam ||

Translation

विदुर उवाच—राजन्, द्रुपदोऽपि महान् राजा; पूर्वं चास्माभिः सह तस्य वैरं जातम्। तस्मात् तस्य सङ्ग्रहणं मित्रभावेन स्वपक्षस्य विवर्धनं भवेत्।

Word by Word

• त्रुपदः: Drupada
• त्रुपदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रुपद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• महान्: great
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कृतवैरः: one who has made enmity (an enemy)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतवैर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नः: of us/our
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Plural

• पुरा: formerly/earlier
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा

• तस्य: of him/of that (Drupada)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• संग्रहणम्: winning over/conciliating; taking into alliance
• संग्रहणम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संग्रहण
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• स्वपक्षस्य: of (our) own side/party
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वपक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• विवर्धनम्: increase/strengthening
• विवर्धनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवर्धन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• Drupada
• King (addressed as rājan)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Vidura emphasizes pragmatic statecraft: even a former enemy, if influential, should be tactfully won over when it strengthens one’s own side—provided it serves stability and strategic advantage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura counsels the king that Drupada, though previously hostile, is a powerful ruler; securing him as a friend/ally would increase their faction’s strength.