Shloka 12
अजानातू स यदा तु त्वां राजधर्मादधश्ष्युतम् । तदाप्रभृति कृष्णस्त्वां न तथा बहु मन्यते,परंतु जबसे श्रीकृष्णने यह जान लिया है कि आप राजोचित धर्मसे नीचे गिर गये हैं, तबसे वे आपका उस तरह अधिक आदर नहीं करते हैं
ajānātu sa yadā tu tvāṃ rājadharmād adhaḥśyutam | tadāprabhṛti kṛṣṇas tvāṃ na tathā bahu manyate ||
Sañjaya said: “But when he came to know that you had fallen below the kingly code of dharma, from that time onward Kṛṣṇa has not held you in the same high regard as before.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Respect and moral authority are tied to dharma: when a ruler deviates from rājadharma, even revered figures like Krishna no longer extend the same esteem. The verse underscores accountability—status and relationships do not override ethical conduct.
Sanjaya, narrating events and their moral implications, tells the addressed king that Krishna’s regard changed once Krishna recognized the king’s lapse from proper royal duty. It is a pointed ethical commentary within the war narration, linking political choices to reputational and spiritual consequences.