Shloka 163
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas
ममापराधात् तत् सर्वमनुज्ञातं च कौरवै: । धृतराष्ट्र बोले--मित्रो! आपलोगोंको यह मालूम ही है कि कौरववंशका विनाश किस प्रकार हुआ है। समस्त कौरव इस बातको जानते हैं कि मेरे ही अपराधसे सारा अनर्थ हुआ है
mamāparādhāt tat sarvam anujñātaṃ ca kauravaiḥ |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Because of my own wrongdoing, all of that came to pass—and it was also allowed and assented to by the Kauravas.” In this confession he accepts moral responsibility for the catastrophe, while also acknowledging the collective complicity of his lineage in permitting adharma to proceed unchecked.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Adharma is sustained not only by the principal wrongdoer but also by those who permit it; ethical collapse arises from personal failure in leadership and collective assent, and its consequences become unavoidable.
In the aftermath of the great destruction, Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks in a tone of remorse, admitting that the calamity occurred due to his own fault, while noting that the Kauravas too consented to the course of events.