Shloka 25
शान्ति पर्व (अध्याय 38): युधिष्ठिरस्य राजधर्म-जिज्ञासा तथा भीष्मोपसर्पण-प्रस्तावना | Shanti Parva Chapter 38: Yudhishthira’s Inquiry into Rajadharma and the Prelude to Approaching Bhishma
स दुष्ट: पापमाशंसु: पाण्डवानां महात्मनाम् | अनामन्त्र्यैव तान् विप्रांस्तमुवाच महीपतिम्
sa duṣṭaḥ pāpam āśaṃsuḥ pāṇḍavānāṃ mahātmanām | anāmantryaiva tān viprāṃs tam uvāca mahīpatim, rājendra |
Vaiśampāyana dit : Ô meilleur des rois ! Ce scélérat, porté au péché et avide de la chute des nobles Pāṇḍavas, se tenait entouré de plus d’un millier de brāhmaṇas—ascètes voués à l’austérité et à la discipline, disposés à donner des bénédictions—et pourtant, sans même solliciter leur assentiment, il s’adressa au roi Yudhiṣṭhira.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical lapse: acting and speaking without seeking due consent (anāmantrya) and being driven by harmful intent (pāpam āśaṃsuḥ). It contrasts the presence of righteous ascetics with the persistence of malice, implying that dharmic procedure and intention both matter.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that a wicked being, wishing harm to the Pāṇḍavas, is surrounded by many brāhmaṇas engaged in austerity and discipline. Despite their presence, he bypasses them and directly speaks to King Yudhiṣṭhira without asking the brāhmaṇas’ permission.