Shloka 10

धृतराष्ट्रस्य स्पर्शाभिलाषः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Request for Touch and Permission for Tapas

Devanagari script

आपददश्चापि बोद्धव्या बहुरूपा नराधिप | भवन्ति राज्ञा कौरव्य यास्ता: पृथगत: शूणु

Transliteration

āpadaś cāpi boddhavyā bahurūpā narādhipa | bhavanti rājñā kauravya yās tāḥ pṛthagataḥ śṛṇu mahārāja kurunandana ||

Translation

دھرتراشٹر نے کہا—اے نرادھپ! آفتوں کو بھی سمجھنا چاہیے، کیونکہ وہ بہت سے روپ دھارتی ہیں۔ اے کوروَیَ! بادشاہ پر جو جو مصیبتیں آتی ہیں، اے کُرو نندن، اُن کا جدا جدا بیان اب سنو۔

Word by Word

• आपदः: calamities, misfortunes
• आपदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आपद् (स्त्री.)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

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

• अपि: also, even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• बोद्धव्याः: to be known, should be understood
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बुध् (धातु) → बोद्धव्य (कर्तव्य/भाव्य कृदन्त)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• बहुरूपाः: of many forms, manifold
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहुरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• नराधिप: O lord of men (king)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नराधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• भवन्ति: are, occur, come to be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• राज्ञः: of the king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• कौरव्य: O Kaurava
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौरव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• याः: which (fem. pl.)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• ताः: those (fem. pl.)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• पृथक्: separately
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक्

• शृणु: hear, listen
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

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

• कुरुनन्दन: O delight of the Kurus
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुनन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Kauravya (a Kuru descendant, addressee)
• Kurunandana (epithet of the addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler must deliberately study and recognize the many kinds of ‘āpada’ (crises). Ethical governance includes preparedness: understanding dangers in distinct categories so that one can respond with discernment rather than panic.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses a Kuru king/prince and introduces a structured discourse: he is about to enumerate, one by one, the various adversities that can befall a king, setting up a didactic section on royal conduct under crisis.