Text 17
akrūra uvāca
bho bho vaicitravīrya tvaṁ
kurūṇāṁ kīrti-vardhana
bhrātary uparate pāṇḍāv
adhunāsanam āsthitaḥ
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.
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.
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.