Shloka 263
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पश्चात्तापः तथा वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse and Request for Forest-Retirement
यथा स्याद् विदितं राजंस्तथा कार्य कुरूद्वह । “राजन! कुरुश्रेष्ठ युधिष्ठि!र[ नगर और जनपदके लोगोंका हृदय तुम्हारे प्रति शुद्ध है या अशुद्ध, इस बातका तुम्हें जैसे भी ज्ञान प्राप्त हो सके, वैसा उपाय करना
yathā syād viditaṁ rājan tathā kārya kurūdvaha |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O King, best of the Kurus, act in whatever way will truly make the matter known. Take such measures as will let you ascertain whether the hearts of the people of the city and the countryside are pure toward you or tainted.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should not govern on assumption or pride; he must responsibly verify the true disposition of his people and then act accordingly. Ethical kingship requires discernment, transparency, and measures that reveal truth rather than suppress it.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates counsel addressed to the Kuru king (implicitly Yudhiṣṭhira): he is urged to take whatever practical steps are needed to learn whether the populace is sincerely well-disposed toward him or inwardly resentful, and to proceed based on that knowledge.