Shloka 1
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत राजधमनुशासनपर्वमें अजुनवाक्यविषयक बाईसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ २२ ॥। अपन क्राता बछ। अर: त्रयोविशो<् ध्याय: व्यासजीका शंख और लिखितकी कथा कर वर्बिडिरको राजा सुद्युम्नके दण्डधर्मपालनका महत्त्व सुनाकर युविष्ठिरको राजधर्ममें ही दृढ़ रहनेकी आज्ञा देना वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुक्तस्तु कौन्तेयो गुडाकेशेन पाण्डव: । नोवाच किंचित् कौरव्यस्ततो द्वैपायनो5ब्रवीत्,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजन्! निद्राविजयी अर्जुके ऐसा कहनेपर भी कुरुकुलनन्दन पाण्डुपुत्र कुन्तीकुमार युधिष्ठिर जब कुछ न बोले, तब द्वैपायन व्यासजीने इस प्रकार कहा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | evam uktas tu kaunteyo guḍākeśena pāṇḍavaḥ | novāca kiṃcid kauravyas tato dvaipāyano 'bravīt ||
Vaiśampāyana said: When the son of Kuntī—Yudhiṣṭhira, the Kuru prince—had thus been addressed by the Pāṇḍava Arjuna, famed as Guḍākeśa (conqueror of sleep), he spoke nothing in reply. Then Dvaipāyana Vyāsa began to speak.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral pause: even after being urged by Arjuna, Yudhiṣṭhira remains silent, showing the gravity of ethical conflict after violence. It sets the stage for Vyāsa’s higher, tradition-backed instruction on rajadharma—how a king must steady himself in duty despite inner sorrow.
Arjuna has spoken to Yudhiṣṭhira, but Yudhiṣṭhira gives no reply. Seeing this, Vyāsa (Dvaipāyana) steps in and begins to speak, indicating a transition from fraternal persuasion to sage-guided teaching.