Shloka 22

धृतराष्ट्रस्य वंशोपदेशः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Dynastic Counsel on Legitimate Rule

Devanagari script

यथा ते न प्रणश्येयुर्महाराज तथा कुरु । मां चैव धृतराष्ट्रं च पूर्वमेव महामते

Transliteration

yathā te na praṇaśyeyur mahārāja tathā kuru | māṃ caiva dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ ca pūrvam eva mahāmate ||

Translation

ข้าแต่มหาราช จงกระทำให้เป็นไปเพื่อมิให้ราชวงศ์ของท่านพินาศ และข้าแต่มหาปัญญา ก่อนภัยพิบัติจะครอบงำ จงวางมาตรการให้ทันท่วงที คุ้มครองทั้งข้าและธฤตราษฏระไว้ล่วงหน้า

Word by Word

• यथा: so that / as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• ते: they (your people/you all)
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: any, Nominative, Plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• प्रणश्येयुः: might perish / should be destroyed
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नश्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• तथा: thus / in that way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• कुरु: do
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Imperative (Lot), Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: any, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed / just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• धृतराष्ट्रम्: Dhritarashtra
• धृतराष्ट्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृतराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• पूर्वम्: before / first
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व

• एव: indeed / just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• महामते: O great-minded one
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामति
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Vidura urges timely, dharma-aligned action to prevent the ruin of one’s house and dependents; wise governance means anticipating disaster and taking preventive measures rather than reacting after destruction begins.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the tense pre-war context of the Udyoga Parva, Vidura counsels the king to act decisively so that the Kuru family does not collapse, and he specifically asks that he and Dhṛtarāṣṭra be safeguarded in advance—implying imminent danger if wrong choices continue.