Shloka 15
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय २५: संजयदूतवाक्यम्
Sañjaya’s Envoy-Speech on Peace
अनेयस्याश्रेयसो दीर्घमन्यो- मित्रद्रुह: संजय पापबुद्धे: । सुतस्य राजा धृतराष्ट्र: प्रियेषी प्रपश्यमान: प्राजहाद् धर्मकामौ
sañjaya uvāca |
aneyasyāśreyaso dīrgham anyo-
mitradruhaḥ sañjaya pāpabuddheḥ |
sutasya rājā dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ priyeṣī
prapaśyamānaḥ prājahād dharmakāmau, sañjaya! |
Sanjaya said: O Sanjaya, King Dhritarashtra—seeking what is dear to his son of sinful intent, a long-standing seeker of what is not truly good, a betrayer of friends—has, though seeing the consequences clearly, abandoned both dharma and rightful desire. In choosing partiality for Duryodhana, he knowingly lets ethical duty and disciplined aims collapse before attachment and wrongdoing.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one clearly understands the right course, attachment to what is personally dear—especially favoritism toward family—can lead to the conscious abandonment of dharma. The verse highlights ethical failure not as ignorance but as willful surrender to partiality and wrongdoing.
Sanjaya characterizes Dhritarashtra’s stance in the lead-up to war: though he perceives the danger and injustice surrounding Duryodhana’s conduct, he still chooses to support what pleases his son, thereby giving up righteous duty and disciplined aims.