Shloka 21

धृतराष्ट्र-सत्कारः तथा श्राद्ध-दाने नियमनम् | Honoring Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Regulating Śrāddha-Gifts

Devanagari script

सदा च प्रातरुत्थाय कृतजप्य: शुचिर्न॑प:

Transliteration

sadā ca prātar utthāya kṛtajapyaḥ śucir nṛpaḥ | viparīta-kṛc ca me śatrur niyamyaś ca bhaven naraḥ ||

Translation

毗舍摩耶那说道：“为王者当恒常黎明即起，保持清净，并完成所规定的诵念。违背正道者，便成我的仇敌；守纪律、知服从者，则为我的善友。”在此情境中，以慈悲著称的友提湿提罗屡屡告诫诸弟与群臣：持国王为众人所当敬奉；遵从持国王之命者，当视为友提湿提罗之友；抗拒者则以罪人论，理当受罚。

Word by Word

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

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

• प्रातर्: in the morning
• प्रातर्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रातर्

• उत्थाय: having risen
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्-स्था
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

• कृतजप्यः: one who has performed the (required) japa
• कृतजप्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत-जप्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शुचिः: pure/clean
• शुचिः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नृपः: king
• नृपः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विपरीतकश्च: and one who acts contrariwise
• विपरीतकश्च: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपरीत-काश् + च
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मे: my/of me
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• शत्रुः: enemy
• शत्रुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत्रु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नियम्य: having restrained/controlled
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-यम्
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

• अश्नन्: eats
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश्
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भवेत्: should be/becomes
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links righteous kingship with personal discipline (rising early, purity, japa) and with ethical governance: loyalty to rightful authority is treated as friendship, while willful contrariness to dharmic command is treated as enmity and becomes liable to royal punishment (daṇḍa).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Āśramavāsika context, Yudhiṣṭhira instructs his brothers and ministers to honor Dhṛtarāṣṭra as a venerable elder; those who comply with Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s directives are counted as Yudhiṣṭhira’s allies, and those who oppose are treated as offenders.