Shloka 28

कुरुक्षेत्रे सेनानिवेशवृत्तान्तः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Questions Saṃjaya on the Deployed Armies

Devanagari script

उक्तो मया वासुदेव: पुनः पुनरुपह्नरे । सम्बन्धिषु समां वृत्तिं वर्तस्व मधुसूदन,“मैंने एकान्तमें श्रीकृष्णसे बार-बार कहा था कि मधुसूदन! अपने सभी सम्बन्धियोंके प्रति एक-सा बर्ताव करो; क्योंकि हमारे लिये जैसे पाण्डव हैं, वैसा ही राजा दुर्योधन है। उसकी भी सहायता करो। वह बार-बार अपने यहाँ चक्कर लगाता है

Transliteration

ukto mayā vāsudevaḥ punaḥ punar upahvare | sambandhiṣu samāṃ vṛttiṃ vartasva madhusūdana ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Madalas kong sinabi kay Vāsudeva nang sarilinan: ‘O Madhusūdana, makitungo ka nang pantay sa lahat ng ating mga kamag-anak. Sapagkat sa amin, ang mga Pāṇḍava ay kasinghalaga ni Haring Duryodhana; kaya tulungan mo rin siya. Paulit-ulit siyang pumarito.’”

Word by Word

• {'uktaḥ': 'told, addressed', 'mayā': 'by me', 'vāsudevaḥ': 'Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)', 'punaḥ punaḥ': 'again and again, repeatedly', 'upahvare': 'in a secluded place

• privately', 'sambandhiṣu': 'toward relatives/kinsmen

• among those connected by relationship', 'samām': 'equal, impartial', 'vṛttim': 'conduct, attitude, behavior', 'vartasva': 'conduct yourself

• behave (imperative)', 'madhusūdana': 'slayer of Madhu

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)
• Madhusūdana
• Pāṇḍavas
• King Duryodhana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ethical ideal of samatā (even-handedness): one should maintain equal conduct toward all relatives, not letting factional loyalty override fairness—especially in a tense political crisis.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports a private counsel given to Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva): he is urged to treat both sides—Pāṇḍavas and Duryodhana—as equally connected and to extend support rather than taking a partisan stance, reflecting the diplomatic pressures before the war.