Shloka 2
गालवस्य विषादः तथा विष्णुप्रयाणम्
Gālava’s Despair and Resolve to Seek Viṣṇu
ज्ञातीनां दुःखकर्तारें बन्धूनां शोकवर्धनम् । सुहृदां क्लेशदातारं द्विषतां हर्षवर्धनम्
jñātīnāṃ duḥkhakartāraṃ bandhūnāṃ śokavardhanam | suhṛdāṃ kleśadātāraṃ dviṣatāṃ harṣavardhanam ||
Janamejaya dit : «Celui qui apporte la peine aux siens, accroît le chagrin des parents, tourmente les amis bienveillants et augmente la joie des ennemis—pourquoi un tel Duryodhana, engagé sur la voie de la ruine, ne fut-il pas retenu par ses frères et sa famille ? Pourquoi nul ami, nul aîné affectueux, pas même le vénérable aïeul Vyāsa, ne le détourna-t-il par bonté ?»
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person’s wrongdoing is measured not only by personal intent but by its social fallout: harming one’s own kin, burdening well-wishers, and empowering enemies signals a collapse of dharma. The verse also raises the ethical responsibility of elders and friends to offer timely counsel and restraint when someone is bent on destructive choices.
In the Udyoga Parva’s lead-up to war, King Janamejaya questions why Duryodhana—portrayed as a source of suffering for his own family and a cause of joy for enemies—was not checked by his brothers, relatives, friends, or by the sage Vyāsa. The question frames the tragedy as both individual obstinacy and a failure of corrective counsel within the Kuru household.