Devanagari
अक्रूर उवाच
भो भो वैचित्रवीर्य त्वं कुरूणां कीर्तिवर्धन ।
भ्रातर्युपरते पाण्डावधुनासनमास्थित: ॥ १७ ॥
Verse text
akrūra uvāca
bho bho vaicitravīrya tvaṁ
kurūṇāṁ kīrti-vardhana
bhrātary uparate pāṇḍāv
adhunāsanam āsthitaḥ
Synonyms
akrūraḥ uvāca
—
Akrūra said
;
bhoḥ bhoḥ
—
O my dear, my dear
;
vaicitravīrya
—
son of Vicitravīrya
;
tvam
—
you
;
kurūṇām
—
of the Kurus
;
kīrti
—
the glory
;
vardhana
—
O you who increase
;
bhrātari
—
your brother
;
uparate
—
having passed away
;
pāṇḍau
—
Mahārāja Pāṇḍu
;
adhunā
—
now
;
āsanam
—
the throne
;
āsthitaḥ
—
have assumed .
Translation
Akrūra said: O my dear son of Vicitravīrya, O enhancer of the Kurus’ glory, your brother Pāṇḍu having passed away, you have now assumed the royal throne.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Akrūra said: O my dear son of Vicitravīrya, O enhancer of the Kurus' glory, your brother Pāṇḍu having passed away, you have now assumed the royal throne.
KB 10.49.17
… Akrūra began to address him, calling him Vaicitravīrya. Vaicitravīrya means “the son of Vicitravīrya.” Vicitravīrya was the name of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s father, but Dhṛtarāṣṭra was actually the begotten son not of Vicitravīrya but of Vyāsadeva. Formerly it was the system that if a man was unable to beget a child, his brother could beget a child in the womb of his wife (devareṇa sutotpattiḥ). That system is now forbidden in this Age of Kali. Akrūra called Dhṛtarāṣṭra Vaicitravīrya sarcastically because he was not actually begotten by his father. He was the son of Vyāsadeva. When a child was begotten in the wife by the husband’s brother, the child was claimed by the husband, but of course the child was not begotten by the husband. This sarcastic remark pointed out that Dhṛtarāṣṭra was falsely claiming the throne on hereditary grounds. Actually Pāṇḍu had been the rightful king, and in the presence of Pāṇḍu’s sons, the Pāṇḍavas, Dhṛtarāṣṭra should not have occupied the throne.
Akrūra said, “My dear son of Vicitravīrya, you have unlawfully usurped the throne of the Pāṇḍavas. Anyway, somehow or other you are now on the throne.
Purport
Akrūra was speaking ironically, since the young sons of Pāṇḍu should actually have been occupying the throne. Upon the death of Pāṇḍu, they were too young to immediately govern and so were put in Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s care, but now sufficient time had passed, and their legitimate rights should have been recognized.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"With the passing away of your brother, you are now sitting on the throne." By this he suggests, "As the sons of Pandu are alive, you are sitting on the throne unjustly."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
He spoke with conciliation and sarcasm. He repeats the word bho bho to make the king attentively face him since it was possible the king would resist, since Akrūra’s words would not be sweet.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
He spoke with conciliation and sarcasm. He repeats the word bho bho to make the king attentively face him since it was possible the king would resist, since Akrūra’s words would not be sweet. By mentioning Vicitraviīrya’s name he employs pacification, by suggesting he was the son of a great king. Since Pāṇdu had died, there was no king to protect the citizens. For a long time since he died, you have been sitting on the throne (adhunā). This is proper. Or because you came from Vicitravīya you have great prowess, and unlawfully immediately took his kingdom.
He calls him the great fame of the Kurus out of sarcasm. The meaning is “Because of you the dynasty has become infamous.” Or you divide up the fame of the Kurus. Since his father died, Yudhiṣṭhira is qualified for the throne. The younger brother should not take the kingdom.