Shloka 27
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
वैशम्पायन उवाच इत्युक्त: स तु गान्धार्या कुन्तीमिदमभाषत । स्नेहबाष्पाकुले नेत्रे प्रमूज्य रूदतीं वच:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ity uktaḥ sa tu gāndhāryā kuntīm idam abhāṣata | snehabāṣpākule netre pramṛjya rūdatīṃ vacaḥ |
قال فايشَمبايانا: فلما خوطب بذلك من غاندھاري، وجّه كلامه إلى كونتي. ومسح عينيه اللتين غشّاهما دمعُ المودّة، وخاطب كونتي وهي تبكي—
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic restraint and compassionate speech in the aftermath of catastrophe: even a king burdened by guilt and loss must steady himself, wipe away tears, and speak to an elder with empathy—showing that ethical action includes how one responds to grief.
After Gāndhārī has issued an instruction or addressed him, the (contextual) responder—understood in the chapter’s flow as Yudhiṣṭhira—turns to Kuntī. Overcome with affectionate sorrow, he wipes his tear-filled eyes and begins speaking to Kuntī, who is crying.