Shloka 19

अध्याय ९ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति राजनित्युपदेशः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Royal Policy to Yudhiṣṭhira

Devanagari script

“राजन! आप जब हमें त्याग देंगे, हमें छोड़कर चले जायँगे, तब हम बहुत दिनोंतक दुःख और शोकमें डूबे रहेंगे। आपके सैकड़ों गुणोंकी याद सदा हमें घेरे रहेगी ।।

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

"rājan! āpa jaba hameṃ tyāga deṅge, hameṃ choṛakara cale jāyaṅge, taba vayaṃ bahu-dināni duḥkha-śoka-nimagnā bhaviṣyāmaḥ | tava śataśo guṇānāṃ smṛtiḥ sadā asmān pariveṣṭayiṣyati ||

yathā śāntanunā guptā rājñā citrāṅgadēna ca |

bhīṣma-vīryopagūḍhena pitrā tava ca pārthiva |

"pṛthvīnātha! mahārāja śāntanu tathā rājā citrāṅgada yena prakāreṇa asmān arakṣatām, bhīṣmasya parākramena surakṣitaḥ tava pitā vicitravīryaḥ yena prakāreṇa asmān apālayat, tathā tava paricaryāyāṃ sthitvā pṛthvīpatiḥ pāṇḍuḥ yena prakāreṇa prajāḥ arakṣat—tathā eva rājā duryodhanaḥ api asmān yathāvat apālayat" ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Tâu Đại vương! Khi bệ hạ bỏ chúng thần mà ra đi, chúng thần sẽ còn lâu ngày chìm trong sầu khổ và bi thương. Ký ức về vô số đức hạnh của bệ hạ sẽ luôn bao quanh chúng thần. Như vua Śāntanu và vua Citrāṅgada đã che chở chúng thần; như phụ vương của bệ hạ là Vicitravīrya—được sức dũng mãnh của Bhīṣma bảo hộ—đã nuôi dưỡng chúng thần; và như Pāṇḍu, chúa tể cõi đất, đã bảo vệ muôn dân khi ở dưới sự trông nom của bệ hạ—thì cũng vậy, vua Duryodhana đã đúng mực nâng đỡ và chăm lo cho chúng thần.”

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• शान्तनुना: by Śāntanu
• शान्तनुना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्तनु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• गुप्ताः: protected
• गुप्ताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुप्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राज्ञा: by the king
• राज्ञा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• चित्राङ्गदेन: by Citrāṅgada
• चित्राङ्गदेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्राङ्गद
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

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

• भीष्मवीर्योपगूढेन: secured/fortified by Bhīṣma’s prowess
• भीष्मवीर्योपगूढेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीष्म-वीर्य-उपगूढ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• पित्रा: by (your) father
• पित्रा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• तव: of you/your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

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

• पार्थिव: O king (lord of the earth)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Śāntanu
• Citrāṅgada
• Bhīṣma
• Vicitravīrya
• Pāṇḍu
• Duryodhana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights rājadharma: a ruler’s foremost ethical duty is the proper protection and maintenance of dependents and subjects. It also underscores gratitude and moral memory—virtues of a leader continue to guide and console (or haunt) the community even after the leader’s departure.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker, reported by Vaiśampāyana, addresses a king who is about to leave. The speaker expresses impending sorrow and then situates the king within a lineage of protectors—Śāntanu, Citrāṅgada, Vicitravīrya (secured by Bhīṣma), and Pāṇḍu—adding that Duryodhana too, in his time, maintained them properly. The passage functions as a remembrance of past guardianship and a lament at separation.