Shloka 15
Adhyāya 16 — Daiva, Kṣatriya-dharma, and Public Reassurance to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
कथं न राजवंशो<यं नश्येत् प्राप्प सुतान् मम । पाण्डोरिति मया पुत्रास्तस्मादुद्धर्षणं कृतम्
kathaṁ na rājavaṁśo ’yaṁ naśyet prāpya sutān mama | pāṇḍor iti mayā putrās tasmād uddharṣaṇaṁ kṛtam ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : « Comment cette lignée royale n’aurait-elle pas été vouée à la ruine une fois parvenue à mes fils — les fils de Pāṇḍu ? C’est pourquoi, pensant : “Ce sont les fils de Pāṇḍu”, j’ai agi pour ranimer leur ardeur et affermir leur résolution. »
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-political concern: safeguarding the continuity and integrity of the royal lineage. It frames encouragement (uddharṣaṇa) as a deliberate ethical act undertaken to prevent decline when leadership passes to the next generation.
Vaiśampāyana reports a speaker’s rationale for having stirred up resolve: fearing that the dynasty might be ruined upon reaching ‘my sons’—identified as Pāṇḍu’s sons—he intentionally encouraged them, presenting motivation as a protective measure for the realm and lineage.