Shloka 75
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas
उपलभ्य ततः प्राणान् धृतराष्ट्रो महीपति: । बाहुभ्यां सम्परिष्वज्य मूथ्न्याजिप्रत पाण्डवम्
upalabhya tataḥ prāṇān dhṛtarāṣṭro mahīpatiḥ | bāhubhyāṃ sampariṣvajya mūrdhny ājighrat pāṇḍavam ||
Entonces el rey Dhṛtarāṣṭra, como si aquel contacto le devolviera el aliento vital, abrazó al Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira) con ambos brazos, lo estrechó contra su pecho y aspiró el aroma de su cabeza. El gesto revelaba un súbito afecto paternal y una reconciliación: aun tras la ruina de la guerra, el dharma puede manifestarse como compasión, contención y sanación de los vínculos.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid grief and the moral wreckage left by war, dharma can manifest as compassion and reconciliation: a ruler and elder, though burdened by loss and past errors, chooses an act of affectionate acceptance that helps restore human bonds.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Dhṛtarāṣṭra, feeling renewed vitality through Yudhiṣṭhira’s touch, draws him close in a full embrace and affectionately smells his head—an intimate, paternal sign of acceptance and emotional release.