Shloka 39
Droṇa–Vidura–Gāndhārī Counsel in the Royal Assembly (धर्मार्थयुक्ता सभा-उपदेश-प्रकरणम्)
अन्ध: करणहीनत्वान्न वै राजा पिता तव । राजा तु पाण्डुरभवन्महात्मा लोकविश्रुत:,तुम्हारे पिता अंधे थे, अतः नेत्रेन्द्रियसे हीन होनेके कारण राजा न हो सके, तब लोकविख्यात महामना पाण्डु इस देशके राजा हुए
andhaḥ karaṇahīnatvān na vai rājā pitā tava | rājā tu pāṇḍur abhavan mahātmā lokaviśrutaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Your father was blind; therefore, being deprived of the faculty of sight, he could not become king. Instead, the great-souled Pandu—renowned throughout the world—became the ruler of this realm.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma grounds royal legitimacy in accepted norms of fitness for rule: personal incapacity (here, blindness understood as a disqualifying limitation in that context) leads to succession by a capable heir, emphasizing stability and dharma in governance.
Bhishma explains to the listener that Dhritarashtra did not ascend the throne due to blindness, and that Pandu, celebrated and virtuous, was installed as king—clarifying the historical basis of Kuru kingship before the Kurukshetra conflict.