Shloka 27
धृतराष्ट्रस्य सत्कारः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Honored in the Post-war Court
सविशेषमवर्तन्त भीममेकं॑ तदा विना । धर्मराजका यह सार्थक वचन सुनकर भीमसेनको छोड़ अन्य सभी भाई धुृतराष्ट्रका विशेष आदर-सत्कार करते थे ।।
saviśeṣam avartanta bhīmam ekaṁ tadā vinā | na hi tat tasya vīrasya hṛdayād apasarpati | dhṛtarāṣṭrasya durbuddhyā yad vṛttaṁ dyūtakāritam ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Alors, tous les frères—Bhīma seul excepté—traitèrent Dhṛtarāṣṭra avec des égards particuliers et une hospitalité attentive. Mais dans le cœur de ce héros, Bhīma, le souvenir ne s’effaçait point : comment, par le jugement égaré de Dhṛtarāṣṭra, le désastre du jeu de dés avait été provoqué.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts outward dharma—showing due respect to an elder and former king—with the inner moral wound that persists when grave injustice is remembered. It highlights accountability in rulership: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s failure of judgment in the dice episode leaves an ethical scar that courtesy alone cannot erase.
After the war, the Pāṇḍavas are honoring Dhṛtarāṣṭra with special respect, but Bhīma alone cannot let go of the past. The dice-game disaster, enabled by Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s misguided decisions, remains vivid in Bhīma’s heart.