Shloka 10
उद्योगपर्व — विदुरोक्तिः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra Addressed on Sincerity, Hospitality, and Settlement
अजिनानां सहस््राणि चीनदेशोद्धवानि च । तान्यप्यस्मै प्रदास्यामि यावदर्हति केशव:
ajinānāṁ sahasrāṇi cīnadeśodbhavāni ca | tāny apy asmai pradāsyāmi yāvad arhati keśavaḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „In meinen Vorräten liegen Tausende Hirschfelle, die aus dem Land China gekommen sind. Auch diese werde ich ihm geben—so viele, wie Keśava für angemessen hält anzunehmen.“
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical tension: rulers may try to resolve moral and political crises through wealth and gifts, but dharma requires right action and justice, not merely material appeasement—even when the gifts are rare and valuable.
During the Udyoga Parva’s peace-and-war negotiations, Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks of offering Kṛṣṇa valuable goods—thousands of deerskins imported from Cīnadeśa—seeking to honor or placate him amid the escalating conflict between the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas.