Shloka 47
अध्याय ९ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति राजनित्युपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Royal Policy to Yudhiṣṭhira
भवत्कृतमिमं स्नेहं युधिष्ठिरविवर्धितम्
bhavatkṛtam imaṃ snehaṃ yudhiṣṭhiravivardhitam
Vaiśampāyana said: “This affection, first shown by you and then fostered and strengthened by Yudhiṣṭhira, has grown into a binding bond of care and responsibility.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Affection (sneha) is not merely a feeling but an ethical force: when initiated with goodwill and then consciously nurtured by a dharmic leader like Yudhiṣṭhira, it becomes a sustaining bond that guides conduct, softens hostility, and supports right action in difficult times.
In the Ashramavāsika context, the narrator Vaiśampāyana highlights a relationship of care: someone’s earlier goodwill is being acknowledged as the seed, and Yudhiṣṭhira is credited with having strengthened it—framing ongoing interactions in terms of gratitude, continuity of bonds, and moral responsibility after the war.