Shloka 3

Devanagari script

॥! _ 8 ५) 0 ५. 735 १ 0 5 २५ [७-7 865 न सन्तीमे धार्तराष्ट्रा येषां त्वमनुशासिता । भविष्यमर्थमाख्यासि सर्वदा कृत्यमात्मन:

Transliteration

na santīme dhārtarāṣṭrā yeṣāṃ tvam anuśāsitā | bhaviṣyam artham ākhyāsi sarvadā kṛtyam ātmanaḥ ||

Translation

都利约陀那说道：“在你统御之下的人，几乎都不配称作‘持国之子’——他们被你的控制压得死死的。你又总把当下该做之事推延到将来，时时把自己的责任移交给未来的时日。”

Word by Word

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• santi: are / exist
• Type: Verb
• Root: as
• Form: Lat (present indicative), 3, plural, Parasmaipada

• ime: these
• ime: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: idam
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• dhartarashtra: the sons/party of Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• dhartarashtra: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhārtarāṣṭra
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• yesham: of whom / whose
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yad
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, plural

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yusmad
• Form: nominative, singular

• anushasita: instructed/ruled (as one who has instructed/controlled)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu-śās
• Form: past passive participle (kta), masculine, nominative, singular

• bhavishyam: the future
• bhavishyam: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaviṣya
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• artham: purpose/matter
• artham: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• akhyasi: you tell / you declare
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-khyā
• Form: Lat (present indicative), 2, singular, Parasmaipada

• sarvada: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvadā

• krityam: what ought to be done / duty
• krityam: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛtya
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• atmanah: of yourself
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied via dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse critiques evasion of responsibility: a leader (or adviser) who continually defers present duty by appealing to the future undermines agency and weakens those he governs. Ethical governance requires timely action aligned with duty (kṛtya), not perpetual postponement.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana speaks in frustration, accusing the addressee (a controlling authority/elder-counsel figure) of so tightly directing the Kaurava side that they scarcely act as independent ‘Dhṛtarāṣṭras,’ and of repeatedly delaying necessary action by invoking future considerations.