Shloka 8
Saṃjaya’s Warning to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Accountability, Alliance-Shift, and the Pāṇḍava Strategic Edge
बाहुवीर्यार्जिता भूमिस्तव पार्थनिवेदिता । मयेदं कृतमित्येव मन्यसे राजसत्तम,नृपश्रेष्ठ! कुन्तीपुत्रोंने अपने बाहुबलसे जीतकर यह भूमि आपकी सेवामें समर्पित की है, परंतु आप उसे अपनी जीती मानते हैं
bāhuvīryārjitā bhūmis tava pārthaniveditā | mayedaṃ kṛtam ity eva manyase rājasattama nṛpaśreṣṭha ||
Sañjaya said: “This land was won by the might of the Pāṇḍavas’ arms and then respectfully offered into your service. Yet you, O best of kings, imagine, ‘This was done by me alone.’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must not claim others’ achievements as his own; ethical kingship requires truthful attribution, gratitude, and governance grounded in justice rather than ego.
Sañjaya rebukes the king for believing the realm is his personal conquest, pointing out that the Pāṇḍavas actually won it by valor and then offered it in loyal service—highlighting the moral distortion behind the king’s self-serving claim.