Shloka 11
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय २५: संजयदूतवाक्यम्
Sañjaya’s Envoy-Speech on Peace
प्राप्तैश्वर्यो धृतराष्ट्रोडद्य राजा लालप्यते संजय कस्य हेतो: । प्रगृहा दुर्बुद्धिमनार्जवे रतं पुत्र मनन््दं मूढममन्त्रिणं तु,संजय! जैसे कोई मनुष्य शिशिर-ऋतु बीतनेपर ग्रीष्म-ऋतुकी दोपहरीमें बहुत घास- फ़ूससे भरे हुए गहन वनमें आग लगा दे और जब हवा चलनेसे वह आग सब ओर फैलकर अपने निकट आ जाय, तब उसकी ज्वालासे अपने-आपको बचानेके लिये वह कुशल- क्षेमकी इच्छा रखकर बार-बार शोक करने लगे, उसी प्रकार आज राजा धुृतराष्ट्र सारा ऐश्वर्य अपने अधिकारमें करके खोटी बुद्धिवाले, उद्दण्ड, भाग्यहीन, मूर्ख और किसी अच्छे मन्त्रीकी सलाहके अनुसार न चलनेवाले अपने पुत्र दुर्योधनका पक्ष लेकर अब किसलिये (दीनकी भाँति) विलाप करते हैं?
sañjaya uvāca |
prāptaiśvaryo dhṛtarāṣṭro ’dyarājā lālapyate sañjaya kasya hetoḥ |
pragṛhya durbuddhim anārjave rataṃ putraṃ nṛśaṃsaṃ mūḍham amantriṇaṃ tu ||
Sañjaya said: “O Sañjaya, why does King Dhṛtarāṣṭra—though he has obtained and holds royal power—lament today? Having embraced the side of his son, a man of perverted judgment, devoted to dishonor, cruel, deluded, and one who acts without the guidance of wise counsel, for what reason does he now wail as if seeking safety? Like a person who sets fire to a dense, dry forest in the heat of summer and then, when the wind drives the flames back toward him, repeatedly grieves in fear for his own welfare—so too does Dhṛtarāṣṭra mourn after choosing the very cause of ruin.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Grief that follows from knowingly supporting unrighteous conduct is self-inflicted. Power and resources do not protect a ruler who abandons wise counsel and enables a destructive heir; lamentation cannot undo a chosen adharma.
Sañjaya comments on Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s present lament: despite having authority, the king has sided with Duryodhana—portrayed as ill-judged and counsel-less—and now mourns the danger he himself has helped ignite, likened to a man who starts a forest fire and then fears its return.