Shloka 7
Droṇa–Vidura–Gāndhārī Counsel in the Royal Assembly (धर्मार्थयुक्ता सभा-उपदेश-प्रकरणम्)
युधिष्टिर उवाच तस्मिन्नुत्पथमापन्ने कुरुवृद्धः पितामह: । किमुक्तवान् हृषीकेश दुर्योधनममर्षणम्,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--हृषीकेश! दुर्योधनके कुमार्गका आश्रय लेनेपर कुरुकुलके वृद्ध पुरुष पितामह भीष्मने ईर्ष्या और अमर्षमें भरे हुए दुर्योधनसे क्या कहा?
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: tasminn utpatham āpanne kuru-vṛddhaḥ pitāmahaḥ | kim uktavān Hṛṣīkeśa Duryodhanam amarṣaṇam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Hṛṣīkeśa, when Duryodhana had taken to the path of wrongdoing, what did the grandsire Bhīṣma—the elder of the Kurus—say to that resentful, unforbearing Duryodhana?”
युधिष्टिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral inquiry: when a leader abandons dharma and embraces a wrongful course (utpatha), the duty of elders and guardians of tradition is to admonish and counsel him. It highlights accountability, ethical governance, and the importance of corrective advice before conflict becomes inevitable.
Yudhiṣṭhira questions Kṛṣṇa about a prior moment: as Duryodhana turned toward wrongdoing, what counsel Bhīṣma—the revered elder of the Kurus—gave him. The question sets up a recollection of Bhīṣma’s admonition and the moral tensions leading toward war.