Shloka 9
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय १६२: प्रातःसंध्यायां युद्धप्रवृत्तिः तथा रजोमेघे संमूढता
त्वं तु लुब्धतमो राजन् निकृतिज्ञश्व कौरव । सर्वाभिशड्की मानी च ततो5स्मानभिशड्कसे
tvaṁ tu lubdhatamo rājan nikṛtijñaś ca kaurava | sarvābhiśaṅkī mānī ca tato 'smān abhiśaṅkase ||
Sañjaya said: “But you, O King—O Kaurava—are exceedingly greedy, skilled in deceit, ever suspicious, and proud; therefore you suspect even us.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how greed, pride, and habitual deceit corrode trust: a ruler who is himself inclined to trickery becomes suspicious of everyone, even loyal advisers. Ethically, it warns that inner vices distort judgment and relationships.
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra directly and rebukes his mindset. He explains that the king’s excessive greed, pride, and tendency toward deceit make him chronically distrustful, leading him to suspect even those speaking truthfully to him.