Shloka 19
Hiḍimbā’s Account and the Bhīma–Hiḍimba Engagement (आदि पर्व, अध्याय १४२)
ते वयं कौरवेयाणामेतेषां च महात्मनाम् । कथं न वध्यतां तात गच्छाम जगतस्तथा,दुर्योधन! यदि हम पाण्डवोंके साथ विषम व्यवहार करेंगे तो सम्पूर्ण कुरुवंशी और ये (भीष्म, द्रोण आदि) महात्मा एवं सम्पूर्ण जगत्के लोग हमें वध करनेयोग्य क्यों न समझेंगे
te vayaṃ kauraveyāṇām eteṣāṃ ca mahātmanām | kathaṃ na vadhyatāṃ tāta gacchāma jagatas tathā, duryodhana ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra dijo: «Duryodhana, si obramos injustamente contra los Pāṇḍava, ¿cómo no habrían de juzgarnos dignos de castigo—nuestros propios parientes Kuru, estos ancianos de gran alma (como Bhīṣma y Droṇa) y también el mundo entero? Si escogemos la senda de la iniquidad, ¿por qué la gente no habría de considerarnos merecedores de muerte?»
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unjust conduct—especially toward one’s own kin—destroys moral legitimacy. A ruler’s actions are judged not only by personal desire but by elders, clan, and the wider world; adharma invites rightful condemnation and punishment.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra warns Duryodhana that if the Kauravas treat the Pāṇḍavas unfairly, they will be seen as deserving retribution by the Kuru family, revered elders like Bhīṣma and Droṇa, and by society at large—highlighting the political and ethical consequences of adharma.