Shloka 24
धृतराष्ट्रमभिप्रेक्ष्य सुह्दां शृण्वतां मिथ: । राजन्नेते यदि क्ुद्धा मां निगृह्लीयुरोजसा
dhṛtarāṣṭram abhiprekṣya suhṛdāṁ śṛṇvatāṁ mithaḥ | rājann ete yadi kruddhā māṁ nigṛhṇīyur ojasā ||
Looking toward Dhṛtarāṣṭra, while friends listened among themselves, he said: “O King, if these men, angered, were to seize and restrain me by force…”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the precariousness of counsel in a charged political setting: when anger dominates, even reasonable speech can be met with coercion. It implicitly warns that power used to silence rather than to deliberate undermines ethical governance.
The speaker, addressing Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the presence of listening allies, anticipates a hostile reaction—suggesting that if those present become angry, they may attempt to restrain him by force. The line conveys escalating tension in the royal court.