Shloka 18
धृतराष्ट्र महाबाहुमब्रवीत् कुरुसंसदि । राजन् परीतकालास्ते पुत्रा: सर्वे परंतप
dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ mahābāhum abravīt kurusaṃsadi | rājan parītakālāste putrāḥ sarve paraṃtapa ||
Vaiśampāyana said: In the assembly of the Kurus, he addressed mighty-armed Dhṛtarāṣṭra: “O King, the time has turned against you; all your sons, O scorcher of foes, stand at the brink of their destined end.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s ethical logic of consequence: when adharma is persisted in, Kāla (the ripening of deeds) turns adverse, and even royal power cannot avert the destined outcome. It functions as a moral warning to a ruler to recognize responsibility and act before irreversible harm occurs.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that, in the Kuru court, Dhṛtarāṣṭra is addressed directly with a grave warning: the decisive time has arrived, and his sons are headed toward destruction—signaling the imminent escalation toward the Kurukṣetra war.