Shloka 41

Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant

Devanagari script

धृतराष्ट उवाच ये राजानो राजसूयाभिषिक्ता धर्मात्मानो रक्षितार: प्रजानाम्‌ । ये चाश्वमेधावभथे प्लुतांगा- स्तेषां लोका धृतराष्ट्रो न तत्र

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | ye rājāno rājasūyābhiṣiktā dharmātmāno rakṣitāraḥ prajānām | ye cāśvamedhāvabhṛthe plutāṅgās teṣāṃ lokā dhṛtarāṣṭro na tatra ||

Translation

دھرتراشٹر نے کہا—اے مُنی! جو دھرماتما راجے راجسوئے میں مُقدّس رسمِ تخت نشینی (ابھشیک) پاتے ہیں، جو اپنی رعایا کے محافظ ہوتے ہیں، اور جن کے اعضا اشومیدھ کے اختتامی غسل (اَوَبھرتھ) میں تر ہو جاتے ہیں—پرجاپتی کے عالَم انہی کے لیے ہیں۔ دھرتراشٹر وہاں نہیں جائے گا۔

Word by Word

• धृतराष्ट्रः: Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• धृतराष्ट्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृतराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3, Singular

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राजानः: kings
• राजानः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राजसूयाभिषिक्ताः: anointed in the Rājasūya (sacrifice)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राजसूय-अभिषिक्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• धर्मात्मानः: righteous-souled
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• रक्षितारः: protectors
• रक्षितारः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षितृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रजानाम्: of the subjects/people
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• ये: and who (those who)
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• अश्वमेधावभथे: in the Avabhṛtha (final bath) of the Aśvamedha
• अश्वमेधावभथे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध-अवभथ
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• प्लुताङ्गाः: whose limbs are drenched (after bathing)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्लुत-अङ्ग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तेषाम्: of them
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• लोकाः: worlds/realms
• लोकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• धृतराष्ट्रस्य: of Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृतराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

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

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Prajāpati
• Rājasūya (sacrifice)
• Aśvamedha (sacrifice)
• Avabhṛtha (ritual bath)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links royal dharma—protecting subjects and upholding righteousness—with the highest ritual merits (Rājasūya and Aśvamedha), implying that ethical kingship and sanctioned sacrifice lead to exalted posthumous realms; Dhṛtarāṣṭra laments that such a destiny is not his.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses a sage, reflecting on the heavenly attainments of truly righteous, ritually accomplished kings, and expresses his own exclusion from those Prajāpati-worlds—an admission of moral shortfall and its consequences.