Shloka 32
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 28: Dharmādharmalakṣaṇa in Āpad
Crisis-Discernment of Right and Wrong
तत्र राजा धृतराष्ट्र: सपुत्रो धर्म्य हरेत् पाण्डवानामकस्मात् | नावेक्षन्ते राजधर्म पुराणं तदन्वया: कुरव: सर्व एव,राजा धृतराष्ट्र अपने पुत्रोंके साथ मिलकर सहसा पाण्डवोंके धर्मतः प्राप्त उनके पैतृक राज्यका अपहरण करनेको उतारू हो गये हैं। अन्य समस्त कौरव भी उन्हींका अनुसरण कर रहे हैं। वे प्राचीन राजधर्मकी ओर नहीं देखते हैं
tatra rājā dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ saputro dharmyaṁ haret pāṇḍavānām akasmāt | nāvekṣante rājadharma-purāṇaṁ tad-anvayāḥ kuravaḥ sarva eva |
There, King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, together with his sons, has suddenly set himself to seize what rightfully belongs to the Pāṇḍavas—their ancestral kingdom obtained in accordance with dharma. All the Kurus who follow his lead likewise ignore the ancient code of royal duty, refusing to look to the time-honored standards of kingship.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must uphold rājadharma—protecting rightful inheritance and acting by established ethical norms. When a king, driven by attachment to his sons, violates justice and ignores ancient standards of governance, the entire polity follows into adharma, creating the conditions for catastrophe.
Vāyudeva points out that Dhṛtarāṣṭra, aligned with his sons, is attempting to take the Pāṇḍavas’ legitimately due ancestral kingdom. He adds that the other Kurus, following Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s lead, disregard the traditional principles of royal conduct.