Shloka 3
Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption
यत् सभायां त्वया राज्ञो धृतराष्ट्रस्य शृण्वत: । कोपित: परुषैर्वाक्यैर्थर्मराजो युधिछ्िर:
yat sabhāyāṃ tvayā rājño dhṛtarāṣṭrasya śṛṇvataḥ | kopitaḥ paruṣair vākyair dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “That very incident—when, in the royal assembly, with King Dhṛtarāṣṭra listening, you provoked Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira with harsh words—(is now bearing its consequences).”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of speech: harsh words spoken publicly—especially before a king and in an assembly—can provoke even the righteous and set in motion long-term consequences. It implies accountability for verbal aggression and the karmic/narrative fallout of humiliating or goading others.
Sañjaya reminds Dhṛtarāṣṭra of an earlier court incident: in the royal assembly, with Dhṛtarāṣṭra present and listening, someone (addressed as “you”) angered Yudhiṣṭhira through harsh speech. Sañjaya frames the present crisis in Droṇa Parva as connected to that prior provocation.