Shloka 22
धृतराष्ट्र-सत्कारः तथा श्राद्ध-दाने नियमनम् | Honoring Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Regulating Śrāddha-Gifts
आशास्ते पाण्डुपुत्राणां समरेष्वपराजयम् | प्रतिदिन सबेरे उठकर स्नान-संध्या एवं गायत्रीजप कर लेनेके पश्चात् पवित्र हुए राजा धृतराष्ट्र सदा पाण्डवोंको समरविजयी होनेका आशीर्वाद देते थे ।। ब्राह्मणान् स्वस्ति वाच्याथ हुत्वा चैव हुताशनम्,विपरीतकश्न मे शत्रुर्नियम्यश्न भवेन्नर: । राजा युधिष्ठिर बड़े दयालु थे। वे सदा प्रसन्न रहकर अपने भाइयों और मन्त्रियोंसे कहा करते थे कि “ये राजा धृतराष्ट्र मेरे और आपलोगोंके माननीय हैं। जो इनकी आज्ञाके अधीन रहता है, वही मेरा सुहृद् है। विपरीत आचरण करनेवाला मेरा शत्रु है। वह मेरे दण्डका भागी होगा
āśāste pāṇḍuputrāṇāṃ samareṣv aparājayam | brāhmaṇān svasti vācyātha hutvā caiva hutāśanam | viparītakṛc chna me śatrur niyamyakṛc chna bhaven naraḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Dhṛtarāṣṭra continually wished for the Pāṇḍava sons of Pāṇḍu to remain unconquered in battle. Each day, rising at dawn, he would bathe, perform the twilight rites, and recite the Gāyatrī; having thus become purified, he would bless the Pāṇḍavas with victory in war. He would also have Brahmins pronounce auspicious benedictions and would offer oblations into the sacred fire. In the same spirit of disciplined order, Yudhiṣṭhira—ever compassionate and serene—would tell his brothers and ministers: “King Dhṛtarāṣṭra is worthy of honor for me and for you all. Whoever abides by his command is my friend; whoever acts contrary is my enemy and will incur my punishment.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage links inner discipline and public order: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s daily purification and blessings model a dharmic use of speech and ritual for the welfare of others, while Yudhiṣṭhira frames political ethics as loyalty to rightful authority—honoring elders and maintaining governance by rewarding obedience and restraining disruptive opposition.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s routine of bathing, sandhyā rites, Gāyatrī recitation, and fire-offerings, after which he regularly blesses the Pāṇḍavas for victory. Alongside this, Yudhiṣṭhira instructs his brothers and ministers to treat Dhṛtarāṣṭra as venerable and to regard compliance with his commands as friendship, while defiance is treated as enmity punishable by royal discipline.