Shloka 116
Adhyāya 128 — Proposal to Restrain Keśava; Sātyaki’s Warning and Vidura–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Counsel
यो जानन् पापतामस्य तत्प्रज्ञामनुवर्तसे । महाराज! आपको अपना बेटा बहुत प्रिय है
yo jānan pāpatām asya tat-prajñām anuvartase | mahārāja! āpako apnā beṭā bahut priya hai, ataḥ vartamāna paristhiti ke liye āp hī atyanta nindanīya haiṁ; kyoṅki āp uske pāpapūrṇa vicāroṁ ko jānte hue bhī sadā usī kī buddhikā anusaraṇa karte haiṁ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “Though you know the sinful bent of his conduct, you still follow the counsel of that very mind. O great king, because your son is exceedingly dear to you, you are, in these present circumstances, especially blameworthy—for you knowingly keep aligning yourself with his wicked intentions.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Knowing that a course is wrong does not absolve one if one still chooses to support it. The verse condemns moral complicity born of attachment—especially a ruler’s failure to restrain or oppose a loved one’s unrighteous intentions.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel, the narrator reports a rebuke directed at the king: despite recognizing his son’s sinful designs, the king continues to follow his son’s policy, making the king particularly culpable in the unfolding crisis.