Shloka 216
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
ददर्श नृपतिमश्रेष्ठं प्रज्ञाचक्षुषमी श्वरम् । इस प्रकार व्याकुल हुए संजयने राजभवनमें प्रवेश करके अपने स्वामी प्रज्ञाचक्षु नृपश्रेष्ठ धृतराष्ट्रका दर्शन किया
dadarśa nṛpatim-śreṣṭhaṃ prajñācakṣuṣam īśvaram |
Vaiśampāyana said: Sanjaya, shaken with anxiety, entered the royal palace and beheld his lord Dhṛtarāṣṭra—the foremost of kings, blind yet endowed with inner discernment—standing as sovereign authority amid the moral and political crisis brought on by the war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the contrast between physical blindness and moral-intellectual sight: Dhṛtarāṣṭra is called prajñācakṣuṣ, suggesting that true 'seeing' involves discernment and responsibility—especially crucial for a ruler during the ethical fallout of war.
Sañjaya, distressed, enters the palace and comes before King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. The scene sets up the reporting and reflection that follow, as the blind king must confront the consequences of the conflict.