Shloka 25

Adhyāya 52 (Sabhā-parva): Vidura Invites Yudhiṣṭhira to Hastināpura for the Dice Match

Devanagari script

कृती राजा च कौरव्य शूकराणां विशाम्पते । अददाद्‌ गजरत्नानां शतानि सुबहून्यथ,महाराज! शूकरदेशके पुण्यात्मा राजाने कई सौ गजरत्न भेंट किये

Transliteration

kṛtī rājā ca kauravya śūkarāṇāṃ viśāmpate | adadād gajaratnānāṃ śatāni subahūny atha, mahārāja |

Translation

โอ กุรวียะ ผู้เป็นเจ้าแห่งไพร่ฟ้า! กษัตริย์ผู้สามารถแห่งแคว้นศูกระ ได้ถวายช้างชั้นเลิศเป็นอเนก—นับเป็นร้อย ๆ เชือก—เป็นบรรณาการ

Word by Word

कृतीskilful, capable

राजाking

चand

कौरव्यO Kauravya (descendant of Kuru)

शूकराणाम्of the Śūkaras / of boars (context: people/region named Śūkara)

विशाम्पतेO lord of the people

अददात्gave

गजरत्नानाम्of elephant-gems / precious elephants

शतानिhundreds

सुबहूनिvery many

अथthen, moreover

महाराजO great king

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Duryodhana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by vocatives kauravya, viśāmpate, mahārāja)

Śūkara-deśa / Śūkara people

gajaratna (excellent elephants)

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 how royal generosity and the display of wealth (here, prized elephants) function as instruments of prestige and political influence in a courtly setting—raising questions about how power can be reinforced through material gifts.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana is describing to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the lavish gifts given by a king from the Śūkara region—specifically, hundreds of excellent elephants—within a broader account meant to emphasize grandeur and the scale of royal exchanges.