Shloka 58
Rājasūyābhiṣeka-darśana: Duryodhana’s Observation of the Consecration
गच्छ त्वं रथमास्थाय हयैर्वातसमैर्जवे । खाण्डवप्रस्थमद्यैव समानय युधिष्ठतिरम्,तुम वायुके समान वेगशाली घोड़ोंद्वारा जुते हुए रथपर बैठकर अभी खाण्डवप्रस्थको जाओ और युधिष्ठिरको बुला ले आओ
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | gaccha tvaṃ ratham āsthāya hayair vātasamair jave | khāṇḍavaprastham adyaiva samānaya yudhiṣṭhiram ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Go at once. Mount the chariot yoked with horses swift as the wind, proceed today itself to Khāṇḍavaprastha, and bring Yudhiṣṭhira here.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how royal commands and political summons can become instruments that shape moral outcomes. Authority exercised without transparent intent can draw even the righteous into situations where dharma is pressured, showing the Mahābhārata’s concern with responsibility behind seemingly simple orders.
In the royal court context of the Sabha Parva, Dhṛtarāṣṭra instructs a messenger/attendant to quickly go by chariot to Khāṇḍavaprastha and bring Yudhiṣṭhira. This summons functions as a narrative trigger leading toward the court events involving the Pāṇḍavas.