Shloka 14
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय २५: संजयदूतवाक्यम्
Sañjaya’s Envoy-Speech on Peace
मानध्नस्यासौ मानकामस्य चेर्षो: संरम्भिणक्षार्थधर्मातिगस्य । दुर्भाषिणो मन्युवशानुगस्य कामात्मनो दौहदैर्भावितस्य
sañjaya uvāca | mānadhnasya asau mānakāmasya ca īrṣoḥ saṃrambhiṇaḥ artha-dharma-ātigasya | durbhāṣiṇaḥ manyu-vaśānugasya kāmātmano dauhadaiḥ bhāvitasya ||
Sañjaya said: ‘That man—one who destroys others’ honour while craving honour for himself; jealous, hot-tempered, and impetuous; one who oversteps both material interest and righteousness; harsh of speech; driven by anger and enslaved to passion; and whose mind is shaped by selfish cravings—such is he.’ In this context, Sañjaya is characterizing the moral collapse that enables Dhṛtarāṣṭra, though understanding what is right, to abandon dharma out of attachment to what pleases his son Duryodhana.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that craving for honour, jealousy, and anger lead to transgressing both artha and dharma; when a ruler becomes attached to pleasing a morally compromised heir, even clear understanding fails to prevent abandonment of righteousness.
Sañjaya is reporting and morally evaluating the situation at the Kuru court: he depicts the flawed disposition associated with Duryodhana and implies how Dhṛtarāṣṭra, despite knowing the right course, is pulled away from dharma by attachment to his son’s wishes.