Shloka 5

एकचक्रानिवासे ब्राह्मणगृहदुःखश्रवणम् | Hearing the Brāhmaṇa Household’s Distress at Ekacakrā

Devanagari script

विदुरश्न महाप्राज्ञस्तथान्ये कुरुपुड्रवा: । पौराश्च पुरुषव्याप्रानन्वीयु: शोककर्शिता:,उस समय महाज्ञानी विदुर तथा कुरुकुलके अन्य श्रेष्ठ पुरुष एवं पुरवासी मनुष्य शोकसे कातर हो नरश्रेष्ठ पाण्डवोंके पीछे-पीछे चलने लगे। तब कुछ निर्भय ब्राह्मण पाण्डवोंको अत्यन्त दीन-दशामें देखकर बहुत दुःखी हो इस प्रकार कहने लगे--

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | viduraś ca mahāprajñas tathānye kurupuṅgavāḥ | paurāś ca puruṣavyāghrān anvīyuḥ śokakarśitāḥ |

Translation

毗湿摩波罗衍那说：大智的毗度罗（Vidura），与俱卢族其他杰出之士，以及城中百姓——皆为悲痛所摧——一同跟随在那些如虎般的英雄（般度五子）身后。

Word by Word

• {'vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'viduraḥ': 'Vidura (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s minister

• exemplar of prudence and dharma)', 'ca': 'and', 'mahāprajñaḥ': 'of great wisdom, highly discerning', 'tathā': 'likewise, in the same manner', 'anye': 'others', 'kuru-puṅgavāḥ': 'foremost among the Kurus

• leading Kuru nobles', 'paurāḥ': 'townspeople, citizens', 'puruṣa-vyāghrān': 'tigers among men

• heroic men (here, the Pāṇḍavas)', 'anvīyuḥ': 'they followed (after)', 'śoka-karśitāḥ': 'emaciated/afflicted by grief

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Vidura
• Kuru lineage (Kuru-puṅgava)
• Citizens (Paurāḥ)
• Pāṇḍavas (implied by 'puruṣavyāghrān')

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights ethical solidarity: when the righteous suffer, wise leaders (like Vidura) and the broader community respond with compassion and accompaniment, showing that dharma is upheld not only by counsel but also by shared support in times of distress.

What is happening in the narrative?

As the Pāṇḍavas depart in a pitiable condition, Vidura, prominent Kuru elders, and the city’s people—overcome with sorrow—follow them, marking a public, grief-filled procession that frames the injustice of their hardship and the sympathy it evokes.