Shloka 23
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
“भरतश्रेष्ठ! प्रभो! तुमने राजनीति बहुत बार सुनी है; अतः तुम्हें संदेश देने लायक कोई बात मुझे नहीं दिखायी देती। तुमने मेरे लिये बहुत कुछ किया है ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ity uktavacanaṃ taṃ tu nṛpo rājānam abravīt | na mām arhasi dharmajña parityaktuṃ anāgasam ||
“O best of the Bharatas, O lord! You have heard political counsel many times; therefore I see nothing further that is fit to be conveyed to you as a message. You have done much for me.” Vaiśaṃpāyana said: When King Dhṛtarāṣṭra had spoken thus, King Yudhiṣṭhira addressed him in these words: “O knower of dharma, you should not abandon me, for I am wholly without fault.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical appeal rooted in dharma: one should not abandon a blameless person, especially when bonds of duty and care remain. Yudhiṣṭhira frames the relationship in moral terms—responsibility should be guided by righteousness rather than withdrawal or resentment.
After Dhṛtarāṣṭra has spoken (in context, about leaving/withdrawing), Yudhiṣṭhira responds directly, addressing him as a knower of dharma and pleading that he not forsake him, asserting his own innocence (anāgasa). Vaiśampāyana narrates this exchange to Janamejaya.