Shloka 86
धृतराष्ट्र-सत्कारः तथा श्राद्ध-दाने नियमनम् | Honoring Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Regulating Śrāddha-Gifts
शोकमस्मस्कृतं प्राप्य न प्रियेतेति चिन्त्यते । उन्हें सदा इस बातकी चिन्ता बनी रहती थी कि पुत्र-पौत्रोंके वधसे पीड़ित हुए बूढ़े राजा धृतराष्ट्र हमारी ओरसे शोक पाकर कहीं अपने प्राण न त्याग दें
śokam asmātkṛtaṃ prāpya na priyeta iti cintyate |
Vaiśampāyana said: They were constantly anxious, thinking, “May the aged King Dhṛtarāṣṭra—already tormented by grief over the death of his sons and grandsons—not be overwhelmed by fresh sorrow caused by us, and in despair abandon his life.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one is not directly at fault, dharma requires sensitivity to the suffering of others; the victors must avoid actions or neglect that could deepen the grief of the defeated and vulnerable, especially elders like Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
In the aftermath of the great war, the narrating voice notes the continuing anxiety of the protagonists: they fear that Dhṛtarāṣṭra, already crushed by the deaths of his descendants, might be further pained by sorrow connected with them and could even renounce life in despair.