Mahabharata 11.13.2 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 13, Shloka 2
Gāndhārī’s Grief, Vyāsa’s Pacification, and the Ethics of Retaliation (गान्धारी-शोकः शमोपदेशश्च)
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजन! तदनन्तर सेवक-गण शौच-सम्बन्धी कार्य सम्पन्न करानेके लिये राजा धृतराष्ट्रकी सेवामें उपस्थित हुए। जब वे शौचकृत्य पूर्ण कर चुके, तब भगवान् मधुसूदनने फिर उनसे कहा-- ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca—rājan! tad-anantaraṁ sevaka-gaṇaḥ śauca-sambandhī kāryaṁ sampādayituṁ rājā dhṛtarāṣṭrasya sevāyāṁ samupasthitaḥ. yadā te śauca-kṛtyaṁ paripūrṇaṁ kṛtavantaḥ, tadā bhagavān madhusūdanaḥ punar enam uvāca—|| rājan adhītā vedās te śāstrāṇi vividhāni ca | śrutāni ca purāṇāni rāja-dharmāś ca kevalāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O König! Danach kamen die Diener, um König Dhṛtarāṣṭra zu bedienen und die Reinigungsriten zu vollenden. Als er seine Läuterungspflichten beendet hatte, redete der Erhabene Madhusūdana erneut zu ihm: ‚O König, du hast die Veden und vielerlei Śāstras studiert; du hast auch die Purāṇas gehört und sogar die Grundsätze der königlichen Pflicht (Rājadharma) in ihrer Gesamtheit.‘“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛṣṇa frames his forthcoming counsel by reminding Dhṛtarāṣṭra of his extensive learning—Vedas, śāstras, Purāṇas, and rāja-dharma—implying that true wisdom is tested in conduct, especially in moments of crisis and moral reckoning.
After attendants help Dhṛtarāṣṭra complete purification/cleansing rites, Kṛṣṇa (Madhusūdana) resumes speaking to him, beginning with a respectful address and a reminder of the king’s scriptural education as a prelude to ethical instruction.
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