Shloka 18

धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas

Devanagari script

यच्चाहं वासुदेवस्य नाऔ्रैषं वाक्यमर्थवत्‌

Transliteration

yac cāhaṃ vāsudevasya nāśrauṣaṃ vākyam arthavat

Translation

持国王说道：“而我没有听从婆苏提婆（Vāsudeva）那切中要义的劝诫。”在这番自白中，他承认了道德上的过失：因拒绝与法（dharma）相契的明智忠告，他助长了走向毁灭的进程，如今只能背负悔恨的重担。

Word by Word

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

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

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अहम्
• Form: Common, Nominative, Singular

• वासुदेवस्य: of Vāsudeva (Krishna)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• आश्रौषम्: I listened/heeded
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Aorist (Sic-luk), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• वाक्यम्: speech; words
• वाक्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अर्थवत्: meaningful; full of import
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्थवत्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ignoring sound, meaningful counsel—especially when it aligns with dharma—creates moral culpability and leads to suffering; wisdom must be heeded, not merely heard.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Āśramavāsika context, Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on past failures after the war’s devastation, admitting that he did not heed Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva), whose advice could have restrained wrongdoing and altered the tragic outcome.