Shloka 73
Kṛṣṇa at Duryodhana’s House: Refusal of Hospitality and Departure to Vidura (कृष्णस्य धार्तराष्ट्रनिवेशनगमनम्)
ब्रूया माधव राजानं धर्मात्मानं युधिष्ठिरम् । भूयांस्ते हीयते धर्मो मा पुत्रक वृथा कृथा:,“माधव! तुम धर्मात्मा राजा युधिष्ठिस्से कहना--“बेटा! तुम्हारे धर्मकी बड़ी हानि हो रही है। तुम उसे व्यर्थ नष्ट न करो”
brūyā mādhava rājānaṃ dharmātmānaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram | bhūyāṃs te hīyate dharmo mā putraka vṛthā kṛthāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Mādhava, sprich zu König Yudhiṣṭhira, dem Rechtsgesinnten: ‘Mein Sohn, dein Dharma schwindet in hohem Maße; vergeude ihn nicht vergeblich.’“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not merely a label but a living moral capital that can increase or diminish through choices. The verse urges restraint and conscientious action: do not let frustration, haste, or misguided resolve cause a needless loss of righteousness.
In the Udyoga Parva’s tense pre-war deliberations, Vaiśampāyana reports an instruction directed to Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa): he is to address King Yudhiṣṭhira and warn him that his dharma is being seriously eroded, and that he should not destroy it through futile or misguided action.