Shloka 13

Droṇācārya’s Assessment of the Pāṇḍavas: Nīti, Kāla, and Intelligence (विराटपर्व, अध्याय २६)

Devanagari script

अथाग्रजानन्तरज: पापभावानुरागवान्‌ | ज्येष्ठं दुःशासनस्तत्र भ्राता भ्रातरमब्रवीत्‌,तदनन्तर सदा पापभावनामें अनुरक्त रहनेवाला दुर्योधनसे छोटा भाई दुःशासन अपने बड़े भाईसे बोला--

Transliteration

athāgrajānantara-jaḥ pāpabhāvānurāgavān | jyeṣṭhaṃ duḥśāsanas tatra bhrātā bhrātaram abravīt ||

Translation

于是，杜赫沙萨那——那位生于长兄之后、素来依恋罪恶心性的弟弟——当场对其兄长开口。叙事点明：道德败坏一旦成习，亲族之内的偏私便会催生祸害之谋，使阿达摩（adharma）愈加深重。

Word by Word

अथthen

अग्रज-अनन्तरजःthe younger brother of the elder (i.e., the one born after the elder)

पापभाव-अनुरागवान्having attachment to evil-mindedness

ज्येष्ठम्the eldest (brother)

दुःशासनःDuhshasana

तत्रthere

भ्राताthe brother

भ्रातरम्to (his) brother

अब्रवीत्said/spoke

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Duḥśāsana

Duryodhana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames Duḥśāsana as driven by pāpa-bhāva (a corrupt moral disposition) and attachment, implying that counsel arising from such inner tendencies leads one’s community—especially family—toward adharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Duḥśāsana, Duryodhana’s younger brother, speaks to his elder brother, setting up the content of his advice or provocation in the surrounding passage.