Shloka 14

धृतराष्ट्रस्य पश्चात्तापः तथा वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse and Request for Forest-Retirement

Devanagari script

अमात्यानुपधातीतान्‌ पितृपैतामहान्‌ शुचीन्‌ । दान्तान्‌ कर्मसु पुण्यांश्व॒ पुण्यान्‌ सर्वेषु योजये:,“जो जाँचे-बूझे हुए तथा निष्कपटभावसे काम करनेवाले हों, जो पिता-पितामहोंके समयसे काम देखते आ रहे हों तथा जो बाहर-भीतरसे शुद्ध, संयमी और जन्म एवं कर्मसे भी पवित्र हों, ऐसे मन्त्रियोंको ही सब तरहके उत्तरदायित्वपूर्ण कार्योमें नियुक्त करना

Transliteration

amātyān upadhātītān pitṛpaitāmahān śucīn | dāntān karmasu puṇyāṁś ca puṇyān sarveṣu yojayet ||

Translation

వైశంపాయనుడు పలికెను—పరీక్షింపబడి నమ్మదగినవారు, కపటరహితులు, తండ్రి-తాతల కాలం నుంచే సేవలో ఉన్నవారు, అంతఃబాహ్య శుచులు, దమనం కలవారు, జన్మకర్మలచేత పవిత్రులు—అటువంటి మంత్రులనే సమస్త బాధ్యతగల కార్యాలలో నియమించవలెను.

Word by Word

अमात्यान्ministers, counselors

उपधातीतान्who have passed tests/are proven (lit. having gone beyond examination)

पितृपैतामहान्connected with fathers and grandfathers; hereditary/long-serving (from forefathers' time)

शुचीन्pure, clean

दान्तान्self-controlled, restrained

कर्मसुin duties/works

पुण्यान्virtuous, meritorious

चand

पुण्यान्pure/holy (by birth)

सर्वेषुin all (matters/tasks)

योजयेत्should appoint/engage

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Public responsibility should be entrusted only to ministers who are proven through scrutiny, free from deceit, disciplined, and ethically pure; legitimacy in administration comes from integrity and tested reliability.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a normative instruction on statecraft is given: the ruler should select and assign ministers to important tasks based on proven character, long-standing trustworthy service, and moral discipline.