Shloka 10

धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानम् — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Departure for Forest Life

Devanagari script

न हि त्वां गौरवेणाहमशकं वक्तुमञण्जसा । गमन॑ प्रति राजेन्द्र तदिदं समुपस्थितम्‌

Transliteration

na hi tvāṃ gauraveṇāham aśakaṃ vaktum añjasā | gamanaṃ prati rājendra tad idaṃ samupasthitam ||

Translation

न हि त्वां गौरवेणाहमशकं वक्तुमञ्जसा । गमनं प्रति राजेन्द्र तदिदं समुपस्थितम् ॥

Word by Word

नnot

हिindeed/for

त्वाम्you

गौरवेणout of respect/reverence

अहम्I

अशकम्was able/could

वक्तुम्to speak/say

अञ्जसाstraightforwardly/directly

गमनम्going/departure

प्रतिtowards/with regard to

राजेन्द्रO king of kings

तत्that

इदम्this

समुपस्थितम्has come about/has presented itself

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

rājendra (the addressed king)

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 highlights an ethical tension: reverence can restrain frank speech, yet when duty demands clarity—especially regarding a decisive step like departure—one must speak plainly and face the situation as it has arisen.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana addresses a king, explaining that he previously hesitated to speak directly out of respect, but now the issue of leaving/setting out has become immediate and unavoidable.