Shloka 23

Droṇa–Vidura–Gāndhārī Counsel in the Royal Assembly (धर्मार्थयुक्ता सभा-उपदेश-प्रकरणम्)

Devanagari script

तस्यां जज्ञे महाबाहु: श्रीमान्‌ कुरुकुलोद्वह: । विचित्रवीर्यो धर्मात्मा कनीयान्‌ मम पार्थिव

Transliteration

tasyāṃ jajñe mahābāhuḥ śrīmān kurukulodvahaḥ | vicitravīryo dharmātmā kanīyān mama pārthiva | tasyāhaṃ sadṛśān dārān rājendra samupāharam | jitvā pārthivasaṅghātam api te bahuśaḥ śrutam ||

Translation

“Tâu Đại vương, nơi nàng ấy đã sinh ra bậc hùng dũng, rạng rỡ, người nâng đỡ dòng Kuru—Vicitravīrya, bậc Dharmātmā—em trai của ta. Vì ngài ấy, tâu Chúa tể các vua, ta đã đem về những người vợ xứng đáng, sau khi đánh bại cả một hội tụ các quân vương—chuyện này hẳn Đại vương đã nghe nhiều lần.”

Word by Word

• {'tasyām': 'in her

• in that woman (locative feminine singular)', 'jajñe': 'was born (perfect of √jan)', 'mahābāhuḥ': 'mighty-armed

• a heroic epithet', 'śrīmān': 'splendid, illustrious, endowed with prosperity', 'kurukulodvahaḥ': 'the upholder/ornament of the Kuru lineage', 'vicitravīryaḥ': 'Vicitravīrya (proper name

• lit. ‘of wondrous valor’)', 'dharmātmā': 'righteous-souled

• devoted to dharma', 'kanīyān': 'the younger (one)', 'mama': 'of me

• my', 'pārthiva': 'O king

• ruler of the earth (vocative)', 'tasya': 'for him

• of him', 'aham': 'I', 'sadṛśān': 'suitable, fitting, well-matched', 'dārān': 'wives (lit. ‘spouses’

• accusative plural)', 'rājendra': 'O best of kings', 'samupāharam': 'I brought/procured (for him)', 'jitvā': 'having conquered', 'pārthiva-saṅghātam': 'a mass/assemblage of kings', 'api': 'also, indeed', 'te': 'to you

• by you', 'bahuśaḥ': 'many times, repeatedly', 'śrutam': 'heard'}

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (speaker)
• Vicitravīrya
• Kuru lineage (Kurukula)
• kings/rulers (pārthivāḥ)
• wives/spouses (dārāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames royal action—securing marriages and overcoming rival kings—within the language of dharma and lineage-duty: a Kuru prince is praised as dharmātmā, and political consolidation (marriage alliances) is presented as a legitimate kṣatriya responsibility when pursued for dynastic stability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva recounts that Vicitravīrya, the younger Kuru prince, was born to a particular woman, and that the speaker later procured fitting wives for him by defeating an assembly of kings—an episode said to be well-known to the listener.