Shloka 61

Devanagari script

इत्युक्त्वा स तु धर्मात्मा वृद्धों राजा कुरूद्वह: । गान्धारीं शिश्रिये धीमान्‌ सहसैव गतासुवत्‌,ऐसा कहकर धर्मात्मा बूढ़े राजा कुरुकुलशिरोमणि बुद्धिमान धृतराष्ट्रने सहसा ही निर्जीवकी भाँति गान्धारीका सहारा ले लिया

Transliteration

ity uktvā sa tu dharmātmā vṛddho rājā kurūdvahaḥ | gāndhārīṃ śiśriye dhīmān sahasaiva gatāsuvat ||

Translation

இவ்வாறு கூறி, தர்மநெஞ்சம் கொண்ட முதிய குருகுலத் தலைவன், அறிவுடைய அரசன் திருதராஷ்டிரன், திடீரென உயிரற்றவனெனத் தோன்றி காந்தாரியைச் சார்ந்தான்.

Word by Word

इतिthus

उक्त्वाhaving said

सःhe

तुbut/indeed

धर्मात्माrighteous-souled

वृद्धःold/aged

राजाking

कुरूद्वहःbest of the Kurus

गान्धारीम्Gandhari

शिश्रियेtook refuge in/leaned on

धीमान्wise

सहसाsuddenly/at once

एवindeed/just

गतासुवत्like one whose life has departed (lifeless-like)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Gāndhārī

Kuru

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

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 the ethical and existential truth of human frailty: even a king, praised as dharmātmā and kurūdvahaḥ, becomes physically overwhelmed. It also points to dharma expressed through relational duty and compassion—Gāndhārī becomes the immediate support when strength fails.

What is happening in the narrative?

After speaking (contextually, concluding a statement in the forest-ascetic setting of the Āśramavāsika narrative), the aged Dhṛtarāṣṭra suddenly loses strength and leans on Gāndhārī, appearing momentarily like one without life.