Shloka 20
Adhyāya 128 — Proposal to Restrain Keśava; Sātyaki’s Warning and Vidura–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Counsel
दुर्योधन यदाह त्वां पिता भरतसत्तम | भीष्मो द्रोण: कृप: क्षत्ता सुहृदां कुरु तद् वच:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | duryodhana yad āha tvāṃ pitā bharatasattama | bhīṣmo droṇaḥ kṛpaḥ kṣattā suhṛdāṃ kuru tad vacaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Duryodhana, best of the Bharatas, do what your well-wishing elders say to you—your father, grandsire Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, and Vidura. Accept the counsel of these friends, for it is offered for your good.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should heed the counsel of trustworthy elders and well-wishers; rejecting such guidance out of pride or obstinacy leads to adharma and ruin.
In the pre-war deliberations of the Udyoga Parva, Vaiśampāyana highlights that Duryodhana is being urged to accept the advice of his father and senior authorities—Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, and Vidura—who speak for his welfare and for the stability of the Kuru realm.