Shloka 25

Adhyāya 52 (Sabhā-parva): Vidura Invites Yudhiṣṭhira to Hastināpura for the Dice Match

Devanagari script

कृती राजा च कौरव्य शूकराणां विशाम्पते । अददाद्‌ गजरत्नानां शतानि सुबहून्यथ,महाराज! शूकरदेशके पुण्यात्मा राजाने कई सौ गजरत्न भेंट किये

Transliteration

kṛtī rājā ca kauravya śūkarāṇāṃ viśāmpate | adadād gajaratnānāṃ śatāni subahūny atha, mahārāja |

Translation

Duryodhana nói: “Hỡi Kauravya, bậc chúa tể của muôn dân! Vị vua tài cán của xứ Śūkara, ôi đại vương, đã dâng tặng hàng trăm—thật vô cùng nhiều—những ‘bảo tượng’ làm lễ vật.”

Word by Word

• कृती: skilful, capable
• कृती: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• कौरव्य: O Kauravya (descendant of Kuru)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौरव्य
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• शूकराणाम्: of the Śūkaras / of boars (context: people/region named Śūkara)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूकर
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• विशाम्पते: O lord of the people
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाम्पति
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• अददात्: gave
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular

• गजरत्नानाम्: of elephant-gems / precious elephants
• Type: Noun
• Root: गजरत्न
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• शतानि: hundreds
• शतानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• सुबहूनि: very many
• सुबहूनि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुबहु
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• अथ: then, moreover
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

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

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by vocatives kauravya, viśāmpate, mahārāja)
• Śūkara-deśa / Śūkara people
• gajaratna (excellent elephants)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how royal generosity and the display of wealth (here, prized elephants) function as instruments of prestige and political influence in a courtly setting—raising questions about how power can be reinforced through material gifts.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana is describing to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the lavish gifts given by a king from the Śūkara region—specifically, hundreds of excellent elephants—within a broader account meant to emphasize grandeur and the scale of royal exchanges.