Shloka 20
एते द्रोणादयश्नैव वृद्धा धर्मविदो जना: । शून्यै: शरीरैस्तिष्ठन्ति गतासव इवानता:,ये द्रोणाचार्य आदि वृद्ध एवं धर्मज्ञ पुरुष भी सिर लटकाये शून्य शरीरसे इस प्रकार बैठे हैं; मानो निष्प्राण हो गये हों। मेरी राय यह है कि इस प्रश्नका निर्णय करनेके लिये धर्मराज युधिष्ठिर ही सबसे प्रामाणिक व्यक्ति हैं। तुम जीती गयी हो या नहीं? यह बात स्वयं इन्हें बतलानी चाहिये
ete droṇādayaś caiva vṛddhā dharmavido janāḥ | śūnyaiḥ śarīrais tiṣṭhanti gatāsava ivānatāḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “These elders—Droṇa and the others—men who know dharma, sit here with their bodies as if emptied, their heads bowed down, like people whose life-breath has departed. In my judgment, for deciding this question the most authoritative person is Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira himself: whether you have been won or not—he alone should declare it.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma is in doubt, mere seniority or learning is not enough if one is morally incapacitated; the decisive testimony should come from the principal agent responsible for the act—in this case Yudhiṣṭhira—so that judgment rests on rightful authority and accountability.
In the Kuru assembly after the dice-game, the elders like Droṇa sit with heads bowed, stunned and silent. Bhīṣma observes their helplessness and argues that the disputed issue—whether the queen has been ‘won’—must be clarified by Yudhiṣṭhira himself, since he is the one who staked and lost.