Shloka 23

दानपात्रापात्र-निर्णयः / Determining Worthy Gifts, Recipients, and Permissible Food

Devanagari script

हतशिष्टाश्व॒ राजान: कृत्स्नं चैव समागतम्‌ । चातुर्वर्ण्य महाराज राष्ट्र ते कुरुजाड्गलम्‌

Transliteration

hataśiṣṭāśva rājānaḥ kṛtsnaṃ caiva samāgatam | cāturvarṇya mahārāja rāṣṭra te kurujāṅgalam ||

Translation

风神说道：“噢，大王，幸存的诸侯——从死亡中被保全者——以及四姓众民，皆已聚集。整个俱卢旷野之国（Kuru-jāṅgala）如今立于你前，愿听差遣。”

Word by Word

• हत: slain
• हत: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत (कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शिष्टाः: remaining, left over
• शिष्टाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अश्वाः: horses
• अश्वाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राजानः: kings
• राजानः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कृत्स्नम्: entire, whole
• कृत्स्नम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत्स्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• एव: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• समागतम्: assembled, come together
• समागतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-गम् (धातु) → समागत (कृदन्त)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• चातुर्वर्ण्यम्: the fourfold social order (people of the four varṇas)
• चातुर्वर्ण्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्वर्ण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• राष्ट्रम्: kingdom, realm
• राष्ट्रम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• ते: your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• कुरुजाङ्गलम्: Kuru-Jāṅgala (name of the country)
• कुरुजाङ्गलम्: Karta
• Type: ProperNoun
• Root: कुरुजाङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva
• mahārāja (the addressed king)
• rājānaḥ (kings/rulers)
• Kurujāṅgala (Kuru-jāṅgala)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames righteous kingship as grounded in social cohesion and consent: after devastation, the surviving rulers and the fourfold community gather to acknowledge and serve the king, implying the ethical duty to protect and govern the whole realm without partiality.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva addresses a great king, reporting that the remaining kings and the entire population representing the four varṇas have assembled; the whole Kuru-jāṅgala realm is present before him, signaling collective submission, restoration of order, and readiness for governance after conflict.