Mahabharata — Sabha Parva, Shloka 7
Adhyāya 45 — Duryodhana’s Distress, Śakuni’s Counsel, and the Summons for Dyūta
प्राग्ज्योतिषपुरं यातानस्मान् ज्ञात्वा नृशंसकृत् अदहद् द्वारकामेष स्वस्रीय: सन् नराधिपा:
prāgjyotiṣapuraṃ yātān asmān jñātvā nṛśaṃsakṛt adahad dvārakām eṣa svasrīyaḥ san narādhipaḥ
Vaiśampāyana dit : Lorsque ce roi impitoyable apprit que nous étions allés à Prāgjyotiṣapura, lui—bien qu’il fût parent de mon père en tant que fils de sa sœur—fit mettre le feu à Dvārakā.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical inversion: even close kinship (a nephew relationship) does not restrain wrongdoing when a person is driven by cruelty and hostility. It implicitly affirms that dharma is measured by conduct, not merely by blood relations.
The narrator reports that after learning of their journey to Prāgjyotiṣapura, a ruthless king retaliated by having Dvārakā set on fire, despite being related to the narrator’s father as a sister’s son.