Shloka 17

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 130: Kuntī’s Instruction on Rājadharma and Daṇḍanīti

Devanagari script

धृतराष्ट उवाच त्वमेव पुण्डरीकाक्ष सर्वस्य जगतो हितः । तस्मात्‌ त्वं यादवश्रेष्ठ प्रसादं कर्तुमहसि

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca tvam eva puṇḍarīkākṣa sarvasya jagato hitaḥ | tasmāt tvaṃ yādavaśreṣṭha prasādaṃ kartum arhasi ||

Translation

持国王说道：“莲目者啊，唯有你是普世众生的福祉之友。故而，耶陀婆中最胜者啊，也当赐我恩泽。”

Word by Word

• {'dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca': 'Dhṛtarāṣṭra said', 'tvam eva': 'you alone, indeed you', 'puṇḍarīkākṣa': 'lotus-eyed (epithet of Kṛṣṇa/Viṣṇu)', 'sarvasya': 'of all, of the entire', 'jagataḥ': 'world, moving universe', 'hitaḥ': 'beneficial

• well-wisher, one who seeks welfare', 'tasmāt': 'therefore, for that reason', 'tvaṃ': 'you', 'yādava-śreṣṭha': 'best among the Yādavas (epithet of Kṛṣṇa)', 'prasādam': 'grace, favor, benevolence

• also ‘calmness/appeasement’ in context', 'kartum': 'to do, to grant', 'arhasi': 'you are worthy/fit

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Kṛṣṇa (Puṇḍarīkākṣa, Yādavaśreṣṭha)
• Yādavas
• Jagat (the world)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a powerful king must recognize moral authority beyond political power: Dhṛtarāṣṭra appeals to Kṛṣṇa as the universal well-wisher, implying that true welfare (hita) and right action (dharma) require humility and seeking guidance from one who embodies impartial good.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses Kṛṣṇa with reverent epithets and requests his favor—an appeal for benevolence and, implicitly, for a course that could avert disaster for himself and his house.