Shloka 116
Adhyāya 128 — Proposal to Restrain Keśava; Sātyaki’s Warning and Vidura–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Counsel
यो जानन् पापतामस्य तत्प्रज्ञामनुवर्तसे । महाराज! आपको अपना बेटा बहुत प्रिय है, अतः वर्तमान परिस्थितिके लिये आप ही अत्यन्त निन्दनीय हैं; क्योंकि आप उसके पापपूर्ण विचारोंको जानते हुए भी सदा उसीकी बुद्धिका अनुसरण करते हैं
yo jānan pāpatām asya tat-prajñām anuvartase | mahārāja! āpako apnā beṭā bahut priya hai, ataḥ vartamāna paristhiti ke liye āp hī atyanta nindanīya haiṁ; kyoṅki āp uske pāpapūrṇa vicāroṁ ko jānte hue bhī sadā usī kī buddhikā anusaraṇa karte haiṁ |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Obwohl du die sündhafte Neigung seines Handelns kennst, folgst du dennoch dem Rat eben dieses Geistes. O großer König, weil dir dein Sohn überaus lieb ist, bist du in den gegenwärtigen Umständen besonders tadelnswert—denn wissentlich richtest du dich immer wieder nach seinen bösen Absichten.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Knowing that a course is wrong does not absolve one if one still chooses to support it. The verse condemns moral complicity born of attachment—especially a ruler’s failure to restrain or oppose a loved one’s unrighteous intentions.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel, the narrator reports a rebuke directed at the king: despite recognizing his son’s sinful designs, the king continues to follow his son’s policy, making the king particularly culpable in the unfolding crisis.