FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.49.16

यास्यन् राजानमभ्येत्य विषमं पुत्रलालसम् । अवदत् सुहृदां मध्ये बन्धुभि: सौहृदोदितम् ॥ १६ ॥
yāsyan rājānam abhyetya
[yaasyan raajaanam abhyetya]
viṣamaṁ putra-lālasam
[vishamam putra-laalasam]
avadat suhṛdāṁ madhye
[avadat suhridaam madhye]
bandhubhiḥ sauhṛdoditam
[bandhubhih sauhridoditam]
Word-for-word
yāsyan — when he was about to go rājānam — the King (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) abhyetya — going up to viṣamam — biased putra — toward his sons lālasam — ardently affectionate avadat — he spoke suhṛdām — relatives madhye — among bandhubhiḥ — by well-wishing relatives (Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma) sauhṛda — in friendship uditam — what had been said .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yāsyan rājānam abhyetya
yāsyan
when he was about to go
rājānam
the King (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
abhyetya
going up to
viṣamaṁ putra-lālasam
viṣamam
biased
putra
toward his sons
lālasam
ardently affectionate
avadat suhṛdāṁ madhye
avadat
he spoke
suhṛdām
relatives
madhye
among
bandhubhiḥ sauhṛdoditam
bandhubhiḥ
by well-wishing relatives (Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma)
sauhṛda
in friendship
uditam
what had been said .
Important Words
  • viṣamam — biased
    Literally 'uneven, unequal' — the opposite of sama. The Bhāgavata's verdict on Dhṛtarāṣṭra in one word: a king whose love for his own sons has destroyed his evenness toward all his subjects.
  • putra-lālasam — ardently affectionate toward his sons
    Lālasā = obsessive longing. The very intensity that should have been redirected to Kṛṣṇa (as Yaśodā's vātsalya is) has instead been bent into partiality. Same emotional energy, opposite outcome.
  • bandhubhiḥ — by well-wishing relatives (Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma)
    Bandhu literally means 'one who binds, who is bound to.' Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are Hastināpura's true bandhus, but the message they send is precisely what Dhṛtarāṣṭra is least able to receive.
  • sauhṛda-uditam — what had been said in friendship
    Sauhṛda (good-heartedness) + udita (uttered). The same root-mood (suhṛt) Kṛṣṇa claims as His relationship to all beings in Gītā 5.29. The brothers' message is framed not as politics but as friendship.
The ardent affection King Dhṛtarāṣṭra felt for his sons had made him act unjustly toward the Pāṇḍavas. Just before leaving, Akrūra approached the King, who was seated among his friends and supporters, and related to him the message that his relatives — Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma — had sent out of friendship.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The ardent affection King Dhṛtarāṣṭra felt for his sons had made him act unjustly toward the Pāṇḍavas. Just before leaving, Akrūra approached the King, who was seated among his friends and supporters, and related to him the message that his relatives—Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma—had sent out of friendship.
Commentary

He went along with friends like Vidura and spoke friendly words to Dhrtarastra who was among his friends (suhrdam), such as Bhisma and others.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Dhṛtarāṣṭra had great desire to put his sons on the throne (putra-lālasam). Akrūra spoke to the king seated among his friends in order to cause the king shame.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

He approached the king, who out of greed had trespassed dharma and took someone else’s kingdom. Thus he acted unequalled (viṣamam) to his sons and his brother’s sons. Or his heart was filled with cruelty and deceit (viṣamam) because he had great affection for his evil sons headed by Duryodhana. Or he had great desire that his sons enjoy the happiness of the kingdom. He spoke among friends like Bhīṣma. This indicates that such persons agreed with him, and there would be credibility in the words he would speak. Or by shaming him the king hoped these others would accept his words.

Related values & verses
Related values
Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Hrih (Modesty / Sense of Shame)Tejas (Inner Radiance / Vigour)
Related verses
BG 12.13 BG 5.8 BG 15.7 BG 10.4 BG 12.3 BG 16.1 BG 12.2 BG 6.17 BG 2.60 BG 13.8 BG 7.8 BG 6.4
Concepts
JivaDharma
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Dhṛtarāṣṭra's ardent affection for his sons made him act unjustly toward the Pāṇḍavas. Before leaving, Akrūra approaches the King and delivers the message from Kṛṣṇa and relatives. Honest message is delivered to the wrongdoer, not hidden from him.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do you avoid delivering a message to someone who would benefit from hearing it?
  • How do you find courage for honest words to power?
Analogy

Akrūra turns from the women's quarters to the throne room and speaks the message Kṛṣṇa entrusted to him, the way a careful courier hands over a sealed letter at exactly the right moment — neither too soon to be ignored nor too late to matter.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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