Shloka 21
Vyāsa’s Counsel to Dhṛtarāṣṭra on Restraining Duryodhana (व्यास-धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)
चिराय तव पुत्राणां शतमेकश्न भारत । पाण्डो: पज्चैव लक्ष्यन्ते तेडपि मन्दा: सुदु:ःखिता:,भारत! दीर्घकालसे तुम्हारे एक सौ एक पुत्र हैं, किंतु पाण्डुके पाँच ही पुत्र देखे जाते हैं। वे भी भोले-भाले, छल-कपटसे रहित हैं और अत्यन्त दुःख उठा रहे हैं
cirāya tava putrāṇāṃ śatam eka-ūnaṃ bhārata | pāṇḍoḥ pañcaiva lakṣyante te 'pi mandāḥ suduḥkhitāḥ ||
Vyāsa dijo: «Oh Bhārata, desde hace mucho tiempo tienes noventa y nueve hijos; y, sin embargo, sólo los cinco hijos de Pāṇḍu se ven como los que verdaderamente destacan. Y aun ellos son de corazón sencillo—libres de engaño—y padecen intensamente».
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores ethical kingship and impartiality: numerical power and lineage pride are hollow if one ignores dharma. The five Pāṇḍavas, though fewer and guileless, are portrayed as the visible bearers of rightful conduct, and their suffering becomes a moral indictment of unjust favoritism.
Vyāsa addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra (called Bhārata), contrasting his many sons with Pāṇḍu’s five. He points out that the Pāṇḍavas are the ones truly “seen” (standing out in the moral and public sense) and that they are enduring severe hardship despite their straightforward, non-deceitful nature.