Shloka 20
Yuga-Lakṣaṇa and Varṣa-Pramāṇa Inquiry (युगलक्षण–वर्षप्रमाण–प्रश्न)
धृतराष्ट्र रवाच सुमहान् संशयो मेउद्य प्रोक्तोडयं संजय त्वया । प्रजा: कथं सूतपुत्र सम्प्राप्ता: श्यामतामिह
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca—sumahān saṁśayo me ’dya prokto ’yaṁ sañjaya tvayā | prajāḥ kathaṁ sūtaputra samprāptāḥ śyāmatām iha ||
قال دِهْرِتَرَاشترا: «يا سنجيا، يا ابن السُّوتا، لقد ذكرتَ لي اليوم أمرًا يورث شكًّا عظيمًا. كيف يكون أن الناس هنا، لمجرّد الإقامة هناك، قد صاروا ذوي لونٍ داكن؟»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a ruler’s understanding can be clouded by uncertainty and second-hand reports; it foregrounds the ethical need for clarity and reliable perception before judgment, especially amid war and mass distress.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra reacts to Sañjaya’s description by expressing a strong doubt and asks how the people have become ‘darkened’ (gloom-stricken/obscured) merely by being present there, pressing Sañjaya for an explanation.