Shloka 12
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 72 — Bhīmasena’s counsel on conciliation and Duryodhana’s disposition
पश्यतां कुरुमुख्यानां सर्वेषामेव तत्त्वतः । दानशील मृदुं दान्तं धर्मशीलमनुव्रतम्,राजन! आप दानशील, कोमलस्वभाव, मन और इन्द्रियोंको वशमें रखनेवाले, स्वभावत:ः धर्मपरायण तथा सबके हैं, तो भी क्रूर दुर्योधनने उस समय पितामह भीष्म, द्रोणाचार्य, बुद्धिमान् विदुर, साधु, ब्राह्मण, राजा धृतराष्ट्र, नगरनिवासी जनसमुदाय तथा कुरुकुलके सभी श्रेष्ठ पुरुषोंके देखते-देखते आपको जूएमें छलसे ठग लिया और अपने उस कुकृत्यके लिये वह अबतक लज्जाका अनुभव नहीं करता है
paśyatāṃ kurumukhyānāṃ sarveṣām eva tattvataḥ | dānaśīlaṃ mṛduṃ dāntaṃ dharmaśīlam anuvratam, rājan! āpa dānaśīla, komalasvabhāva, mana aur indriyoṃ ko vaśa meṃ rakhanevāle, svabhāvataḥ dharmaparāyaṇa tathā sabake haiṃ, to bhī krūra duryodhanane us samaya pitāmaha bhīṣma, droṇācārya, buddhimān vidura, sādhu, brāhmaṇa, rājā dhṛtarāṣṭra, nagaranivāsī janasamudāya tathā kurukulake sabhī śreṣṭha puruṣoṃke dekhate-dekhate āpako jūe meṃ chalse ṭhag liyā aura apane us kukṛtyake liye vah abatak lajjākā anubhava nahīṃ karatā hai
Yudhishthira said: “O king, in the very presence of all the foremost men of the Kuru line—who were watching and fully aware of what was happening—you, though generous, gentle, self-controlled, devoted to dharma, and faithful to your vows, were nevertheless deceitfully cheated at the dice by the cruel Duryodhana. And even now he feels no shame for that wicked deed, though it was done before grandsire Bhishma, Drona, the wise Vidura, holy men, Brahmins, King Dhritarashtra, the citizens of the city, and all the best of the Kuru clan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public wrongdoing becomes graver when committed knowingly before elders and the righteous; the verse contrasts the victim’s dharmic virtues (generosity, gentleness, self-control, vow-keeping) with the perpetrator’s deceit and lack of shame, highlighting that shamelessness after a misdeed signals deep moral decline.
Yudhishthira reminds the king that Duryodhana cheated in the dice-game despite the presence of Kuru elders and respected figures like Bhishma, Drona, and Vidura, along with Brahmins and citizens, and he emphasizes that Duryodhana still does not feel ashamed of that act.