Shloka 23

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 126 — Kṛṣṇa’s Indictment of Misrule and the Varuṇa Analogy (कृष्णवाक्यं–धर्मपाशदृष्टान्तः)

Devanagari script

यावच्च राजा धप्रियते धृतराष्ट्रो जनार्दन । न्यस्तशस्त्रा वयं ते वाप्पयुपजीवाम माधव । अप्रदेयं पुरा दत्तं राज्यं परवतो मम

Transliteration

yāvac ca rājā dhriyate dhṛtarāṣṭro janārdana | nyastaśastrā vayaṃ te vāpy upajīvāma mādhava | apradeyaṃ purā dattaṃ rājyaṃ parvato mama ||

Translation

毗舍摩波耶那说道：“噢，阇那尔达那啊，只要国王持国尚在人世，我们就应放下兵刃，在你的庇护下安然度日，噢，摩陀婆。先前曾分给他们的那份国土，实则本不该赐与；当年我年幼受制，或因无知，或因恐惧而交出的东西，如今般度婆再也不能索回。”

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as / until
• यावत्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत्
• Form: correlative adverb (until/as long as)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: conjunction

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• ध्रियते: continues / remains alive
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ
• Form: present, indicative, 3rd person, singular; passive/ātmanepada usage: 'is sustained/continues'

• धृतराष्ट्रः: Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• धृतराष्ट्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृतराष्ट्र
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• जनार्दन: O Janārdana
• जनार्दन: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• न्यस्तशस्त्राः: having laid down weapons / disarmed
• न्यस्तशस्त्राः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: न्यस्तशस्त्र
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural; past passive participle-based compound: 'with weapons laid down'

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: nominative, plural (common gender)

• ते: for you / to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: dative, singular

• वा: or / indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा
• Form: disjunctive particle

• अपि: also / even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि
• Form: particle

• उपजीवाम: we live / subsist
• Type: Verb
• Root: उपजीव्
• Form: present, indicative, 1st person, plural (parasmaipada): 'we live/maintain ourselves'

• माधव: O Mādhava
• माधव: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: माधव
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• अप्रदेयम्: not to be given / improper to give
• अप्रदेयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अप्रदेय
• Form: neuter, nominative/accusative, singular; gerundive (to be given) with negation

• पुरा: formerly / earlier
• पुरा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा
• Form: adverb

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा
• Form: neuter, nominative/accusative, singular; past passive participle

• राज्यम्: kingdom / sovereignty
• राज्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य
• Form: neuter, nominative/accusative, singular

• पार्थवत्: with respect to the Pārthas / like (for) the Pāṇḍavas
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पार्थवत्
• Form: adverbial -वत् (like/as): 'as to the Pārthas'

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: genitive, singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa)
• Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa)
• Pāṇḍavas
• Parvata

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a political-ethical stance: while the elder king Dhṛtarāṣṭra lives, restraint and non-violence are urged, yet it simultaneously argues about the legitimacy of past concessions, claiming that earlier grants of royal share were improper and therefore not binding now.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, a speaker (reported by Vaiśaṃpāyana) addresses Kṛṣṇa (Janārdana/Mādhava), advocating disarmament and peaceful living during Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s lifetime, while contesting the Pāṇḍavas’ entitlement to a previously allotted portion of the kingdom.