Shloka 4
स्त्रीपर्व — अध्याय १५: गान्धारी-युधिष्ठिर-संवादः
Gandhārī’s Confrontation and Consolation of Yudhiṣṭhira
अधर्मेण जित: पूर्व तेन चापि युधिष्ठिर: । निकृताश्न सदेव सम ततो विषममाचरम्,“पहले उसने भी अधर्मसे ही राजा युधिष्ठिरको जीता था और हमलोगोंके साथ सदा ही धोखा किया था, इसलिये मैंने भी उसके साथ विषम बर्ताव किया
adharmeṇa jitaḥ pūrvaṃ tena cāpi yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | nikṛtāśnaḥ sadaiva sma tato viṣamam ācaram ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Earlier, King Yudhiṣṭhira too was defeated by him through adharma, and he continually dealt with us by deceit. Therefore, in response, I also acted toward him in an unequal and harsh manner.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of retaliatory injustice: when one has been wronged through adharma and deceit, the impulse to answer with similarly ‘unequal’ conduct arises, but it underscores how adharma can propagate further adharma and complicate moral accountability.
The speaker recalls that Yudhiṣṭhira was previously overcome through unrighteous means and that the opponent habitually used deception; citing this as the cause, the speaker admits to responding with viṣama—unfair or harsh—behavior toward that person.