Shloka 10

धृतराष्ट्रस्य स्पर्शाभिलाषः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Request for Touch and Permission for Tapas

Devanagari script

आपददश्चापि बोद्धव्या बहुरूपा नराधिप | भवन्ति राज्ञा कौरव्य यास्ता: पृथगत: शूणु,महाराज! कुरुनन्दन! राजापर आनेवाली अनेक प्रकारकी आपत्तियाँ भी होती हैं, जिन्हें जानना चाहिये। अतः उनका पृथक्‌-पृथक्‌ वर्णन सुनो

Transliteration

āpadaś cāpi boddhavyā bahurūpā narādhipa | bhavanti rājñā kauravya yās tāḥ pṛthagataḥ śṛṇu mahārāja kurunandana ||

Translation

த்ருதராஷ்டிரன் கூறினான்—ஓ நராதிபா! ஆபத்துகளையும் அறிந்திருக்க வேண்டும்; அவை பல வடிவங்களில் தோன்றுகின்றன. ஓ கௌரவ்யா! அரசனைச் சூழும் துன்பங்களை, ஓ குருநந்தனா, அவற்றைத் தனித்தனியாக நான் உரைக்கிறேன்; கேள்.

Word by Word

आपदःcalamities, misfortunes

चand

अपिalso, even

बोद्धव्याःto be known, should be understood

बहुरूपाःof many forms, manifold

नराधिपO lord of men (king)

भवन्तिare, occur, come to be

राज्ञःof the king

कौरव्यO Kaurava

याःwhich (fem. pl.)

ताःthose (fem. pl.)

पृथक्separately

शृणुhear, listen

महाराजO great king

कुरुनन्दनO delight of the Kurus

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Kauravya (a Kuru descendant, addressee)

Kurunandana (epithet of the addressee)

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?

A ruler must deliberately study and recognize the many kinds of ‘āpada’ (crises). Ethical governance includes preparedness: understanding dangers in distinct categories so that one can respond with discernment rather than panic.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses a Kuru king/prince and introduces a structured discourse: he is about to enumerate, one by one, the various adversities that can befall a king, setting up a didactic section on royal conduct under crisis.