Shloka 18
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas
यच्चाहं वासुदेवस्य नाऔ्रैषं वाक्यमर्थवत्
yac cāhaṃ vāsudevasya nāśrauṣaṃ vākyam arthavat
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “And I did not listen to Vāsudeva’s meaningful counsel.” In this confession he acknowledges a moral failure: by refusing wise, dharma-aligned advice, he helped set the course toward ruin and now bears the weight of regret.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ignoring sound, meaningful counsel—especially when it aligns with dharma—creates moral culpability and leads to suffering; wisdom must be heeded, not merely heard.
In the Āśramavāsika context, Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on past failures after the war’s devastation, admitting that he did not heed Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva), whose advice could have restrained wrongdoing and altered the tragic outcome.