Shloka 29
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 148: Vāsudeva’s Report—Mobilization and the Nīti Sequence
Sāma–Bheda–Daṇḍa
तथैवाहं मतिमता परिचिन्त्येह पाण्डुना । ज्येष्ठ: प्रभश्रंशितो राज्याद्धीनाड़ इति भारत
tathaivāhaṃ matimatā paricintyeha pāṇḍunā | jyeṣṭhaḥ prabhraṃśito rājyād dhīnāṅga iti bhārata ||
«وكذلك كان أمري هنا، يا بهاراتا: إذ كنت ناقص الأعضاء، فمع أني الأكبر سِنًّا، حُرِمتُ المُلك بعد تدبّرٍ متأنٍّ من بانْدو الحكيم مع الناس.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that rulership is not granted by birth-order alone; for the sake of the kingdom’s welfare, wise deliberation may set aside seniority when a candidate is deemed unfit, emphasizing responsibility and public good in matters of succession.
Vāyudeva speaks to a Bhārata-descendant, recalling that he himself—though the eldest—was excluded from kingship because he was physically impaired, and that Pāṇḍu and the people, after careful consideration, deprived him of the throne.