Shloka 15

धृतराष्ट्रस्य पश्चात्तापः तथा वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse and Request for Forest-Retirement

Devanagari script

चारयेथाश्ष सततं चारैरविदित: परै: | परीक्षितैर्बहुविधै: स्वराष्ट्प्रतिवासिभि:

Transliteration

cārayethāś ca satataṃ cārair aviditaḥ paraiḥ | parīkṣitair bahuvidhaiḥ svarāṣṭra-prativāsibhiḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hãy luôn theo dõi kẻ thù bằng mật thám, nhưng khiến họ không hay biết về mình. Hãy dùng nhiều hạng người—đã được thử thách, lại là cư dân trong chính quốc độ của ngươi—để không ngừng nắm rõ mưu đồ kín đáo của đối phương, và cẩn trọng sao cho kẻ thù không dò được bí mật của ngươi.”

Word by Word

• चारयेत्: should employ/send (to spy)
• चारयेत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: चारय् (caus. of चर्)
• Form: Vidhi-lin (optative), 3, singular, Parasmaipada

• एतान्: these
• एतान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: masculine, accusative, plural

• सततम्: constantly
• सततम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत

• चारैः: by spies/agents
• चारैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: चार
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

• अविदितः: unknown
• अविदितः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अविदित (ppp of √विद् with neg. a-)
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• परैः: by others/enemies
• परैः: Karana
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

• परीक्षितैः: tested/verified
• परीक्षितैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परीक्षित (ppp of pari-√इक्ष्)
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

• बहुविधैः: of many kinds/various
• बहुविधैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहुविध
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

• स्वराष्ट्रप्रतिवासिभिः: by those dwelling in one’s own kingdom
• स्वराष्ट्रप्रतिवासिभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व-राष्ट्र-प्रतिवासिन्
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• spies (cāra)
• enemies (para)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should practice vigilant, continuous intelligence-gathering through trustworthy, well-tested agents—preferably rooted in the home territory—while ensuring operational secrecy so that the enemy cannot learn the ruler’s own plans.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana conveys a counsel of governance: the use of diverse, vetted spies to uncover an enemy’s concealed intentions, coupled with careful measures to keep one’s own affairs hidden from hostile powers.