Shloka 40
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
गुणवत्सु कथं द्वेषं धृतराष्ट्रो जनेश्वर: । कृतवान् पाण्डुपुत्रेषु पापात्मा लोभमोहित:,पापात्मा राजा धुृतराष्ट्रने लोभसे मोहित होकर गुणवान् पाण्डवोंसे द्वेष क्यों किया?
guṇavatsu kathaṁ dveṣaṁ dhṛtarāṣṭro janeśvaraḥ | kṛtavān pāṇḍuputreṣu pāpātmā lobhamohitaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “How did Dhṛtarāṣṭra, lord of men, come to bear hatred toward the virtuous sons of Pāṇḍu? Deluded by greed, that sinful-minded king directed his malice against them.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral inversion: hatred directed at the virtuous is a symptom of inner corruption. Greed (lobha) clouds discernment (moha), leading a ruler to abandon dharma and act against those who embody merit, thereby setting the stage for wider ruin.
Sañjaya frames a reflective question about Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s conduct—why the king, despite the Pāṇḍavas’ virtues, became hostile to them. The line functions as a diagnosis of motive: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s partiality and animosity are traced to greed-driven delusion, a key cause behind the Kuru family’s escalation toward war.