Shloka 106
निवृत्तवासान् कौन्तेयान् य आहुर्विदिता इति | कुन्तीके पुत्र वनवासकी अवधि पूरी करके जब लौटे हैं, तब कौरव यह कहने लगे हैं कि हमने तो इन्हें समय पूर्ण होनेसे पहले ही पहचान लिया है। ऐसी दशामें यह कैसे कहा जाय कि कौरव धर्ममें तत्पर हैं और पाण्डवोंके राज्यका अपहरण नहीं करना चाहते हैं
nivṛttavāsān kaunteyān ye āhur viditā iti |
Vaiśampāyana said: “When the sons of Kuntī had returned after completing their term of exile, the Kauravas began to say, ‘We had recognized them even before the time was fully over.’ In such a situation, how can it be maintained that the Kauravas are devoted to dharma and do not wish to seize the Pāṇḍavas’ kingdom?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical scrutiny of political claims: when a party seeks advantage by disputing fair terms (here, implying early recognition to invalidate the exile’s completion), their professed commitment to dharma becomes suspect. Dharma is tested by conduct, not by self-serving declarations.
After the Pāṇḍavas complete their exile and return, the Kauravas claim they had identified them before the term ended—an insinuation meant to deny the Pāṇḍavas their rightful restoration. The narrator frames this as evidence that the Kauravas are not acting righteously and intend to appropriate the Pāṇḍavas’ kingdom.