Shloka 27
धृतराष्ट्रस्य सत्कारः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Honored in the Post-war Court
सविशेषमवर्तन्त भीममेकं॑ तदा विना । धर्मराजका यह सार्थक वचन सुनकर भीमसेनको छोड़ अन्य सभी भाई धुृतराष्ट्रका विशेष आदर-सत्कार करते थे ।। न हि तत् तस्य वीरस्य हृदयादपसर्पति । धृतराष्ट्रस्य दुर्बुद्ध्य यद् वृत्तं द्यूतकारितम्
saviśeṣam avartanta bhīmam ekaṁ tadā vinā | na hi tat tasya vīrasya hṛdayād apasarpati | dhṛtarāṣṭrasya durbuddhyā yad vṛttaṁ dyūtakāritam ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Damals erwiesen alle Brüder—Bhīma allein ausgenommen—Dhṛtarāṣṭra besondere Ehre und sorgsame Gastfreundschaft. Doch im Herzen jenes Helden, Bhīma, wich die Erinnerung nicht: wie durch Dhṛtarāṣṭras verfehltes Urteil das Unheil des Würfelspiels heraufbeschworen worden war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts outward dharma—showing due respect to an elder and former king—with the inner moral wound that persists when grave injustice is remembered. It highlights accountability in rulership: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s failure of judgment in the dice episode leaves an ethical scar that courtesy alone cannot erase.
After the war, the Pāṇḍavas are honoring Dhṛtarāṣṭra with special respect, but Bhīma alone cannot let go of the past. The dice-game disaster, enabled by Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s misguided decisions, remains vivid in Bhīma’s heart.