Shloka 15
स्त्रीपर्व १: धृतराष्ट्रशोकः संजयाश्वासनं च
Strī Parva 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Saṃjaya’s Consolation
तच्च वाक्यमकृत्वाहं भृशं तप्यामि दुर्मति: । श्रीकृष्णने सारी सभाके बीचमें मेरे भलेके लिये कहा था--“राजन्! वैर बढ़ानेसे आपको क्या लाभ है? अपने पुत्रोंको रोकिये।। उनकी उस बातको न मानकर आज मैं अत्यन्त संतप्त हो रहा हूँ। मेरी बुद्धि बिगड़ गयी थी ।। न हि श्रोतास्मि भीष्मस्य धर्मयुक्त प्रभाषितम्
tac ca vākyam akṛtvāhaṃ bhṛśaṃ tapyāmi durmatiḥ | śrīkṛṣṇena sāri sabhāke bīcameṃ mere bhaleke liye kahā thā—“rājan! vaira baṛhāne se āpako kyā lābha hai? apane putroṃ ko rokiye.” | unakī us bāt ko na mānakara āja ahaṃ atyanta santapta ho rahā hūṃ | merī buddhi bigaṛ gaī thī || na hi śrotāsmi bhīṣmasya dharmayukta prabhāṣitam ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Having failed to act upon that counsel, I am now tormented beyond measure—fool that I was. In the midst of the assembly, Shri Krishna spoke for my welfare: ‘O King, what gain is there for you in inflaming enmity? Restrain your sons.’ Because I did not accept his words, today I burn with deep remorse; my judgment had become perverted. Nor did I truly listen to Bhishma’s righteous, dharma-grounded advice.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must restrain destructive impulses—especially within one’s own family—and heed dharma-based counsel. Ignoring wise advice (from Krishna and Bhishma) leads to preventable catastrophe and later remorse.
In the opening of the Stri Parva, after the devastation of the war, Dhritarashtra reflects on his failure to act earlier. He recalls Krishna’s warning in the court to stop escalating hostility and to restrain his sons, and he admits he also did not truly listen to Bhishma’s righteous guidance.