Shloka 5
एकमेव हि लोके<स्मिन्नात्मनो गुणवत्तरम् | इच्छन्ति पुरुषा: पुत्रं लोके नान्यं कथंचन,मनुष्य इस जगत्में केवल पुत्रको ही अपनेसे भी अधिक गुणवान् बनाना चाहते हैं, दूसरेको किसी प्रकार भी नहीं
ekam eva hi loke 'sminn ātmano guṇavattaram | icchanti puruṣāḥ putraṃ loke nānyaṃ kathaṃcana ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “In this world, people wish for only one being to surpass even themselves in excellence—namely, their own son; they do not, in any way, desire this for anyone else.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a common human bias: people readily wish their own child to exceed them in virtue and success, yet rarely extend the same goodwill to others. It implicitly points to attachment (putra-sneha) and partiality as ethical challenges, especially for rulers who must uphold impartial dharma.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on human motivation and parental attachment while speaking in the Drona Parva context, where the consequences of familial partiality—particularly his attachment to his sons—are central to the unfolding tragedy of the war.