Shloka 20
धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति व्यवहार-रक्षा-नियमनोपदेशः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Instruction on Administration, Punishment, and Daily Governance
कुतस्त्वमसि विस्मृत्य वैरं द्वादशवार्षिकम्
kutastvam asi vismṛtya vairaṃ dvādaśavārṣikam
How is it that you, having forgotten the enmity that lasted twelve years, now speak and act as though it were nothing? The question presses the moral tension between remembering past wrongs and choosing restraint, challenging whether reconciliation is genuine wisdom or merely a lapse in vigilance.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical dilemma of how far one should let past hostility govern present conduct. It probes whether forgetting long-standing enmity is a mark of dharmic forgiveness and strategic peace, or an imprudent neglect of hard-earned lessons.
Vaiśampāyana reports a pointed challenge directed at someone whose current stance seems inconsistent with a prolonged feud. The speaker expresses astonishment that a twelve-year hostility could be ‘forgotten,’ implying a sudden shift toward trust, reconciliation, or complacency.