Shloka 5
कुन्ती-युधिष्ठिरसंवादः
Kuntī–Yudhiṣṭhira Dialogue on Bhīma’s Mission
नूनं शांतनवो5पीह न धर्ममनुवर्तते । द्रोणश्न विदुरश्चैव कृपश्चान्ये च कौरवा:,“निश्चय ही इस विषयमें शंतनुनन्दन भीष्मजी भी धर्मका अनुसरण नहीं कर रहे हैं। द्रोण, विदुर, कृपाचार्य तथा अन्य कौरवोंकी भी यही दशा है
nūnaṃ śāṃtanavo 'pīha na dharmam anuvartate | droṇaś ca viduraś caiva kṛpaś cānye ca kauravāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Gewiss folgt hier selbst Bhīṣma, der Sohn Śantanus, nicht dem Pfad des Dharma. Ebenso Droṇa, Vidura, Kṛpa und die übrigen Kauravas.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that moral failure can occur not only through direct wrongdoing but also through the inaction or compromised judgment of respected elders. When those entrusted with upholding dharma do not actively align with it, the entire polity is seen as drifting from righteousness.
The narrator (Vaiśampāyana) comments critically on the conduct of key figures at the Kuru court—Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Vidura, Kṛpa, and others—implying that in the present crisis they are not effectively following or enforcing dharma, despite their stature and expected role as guardians of right conduct.