Shloka 7
Kāmyaka-vane Pāṇḍava-nivāsaḥ — Vidurasya āgamanam ca (कamyake वने पाण्डवनिवासः—विदुरस्य आगमनं च)
पश्चात्तापाभिसंतप्तो विदुरस्मारमोहित: । भ्रातृस्नेहादिदं राजा संजयं वाक्यमब्रवीत्,महाराज धुृतराष्ट्र विदुरकी याद आनेसे मोहित हो पश्चात्तापसे खिन्च हो उठे और भ्रातृस्नेहवश संजयसे पुन: इस प्रकार बोले--
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
paścāttāpābhisantāpto vidurasmāramohitaḥ |
bhrātṛsnehād idaṁ rājā sañjayaṁ vākyam abravīt ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Tormented by remorse and bewildered as memories of Vidura surged within him, the king—moved by brotherly affection—spoke these words again to Sañjaya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological truth central to the Mahābhārata: remorse (paścāttāpa) can awaken conscience, yet attachment (bhrātṛ-sneha) can still steer one’s decisions. Ethical clarity requires not only regret but also the strength to act beyond partiality.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana describes Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s state: he is distressed by repentance and mentally shaken by thoughts of Vidura. In that mood, he turns again to Sañjaya and resumes speaking, setting up the next lines of dialogue.