Shloka 21
Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Reconciliation and Partition (भीष्मोपदेशः—संधि-राज्यविभागविचारः)
वैशम्पायन उवाच तत उत्थाय भगवान् व्यासो द्वैपायन: प्रभु: । करे गृहीत्वा राजानं राजवेश्म समाविशत्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tata utthāya bhagavān vyāso dvaipāyanaḥ prabhuḥ | kare gṛhītvā rājānaṃ rājaveśma samāviśat |
વૈશમ્પાયને કહ્યું—ત્યારબાદ શક્તિમાન પ્રભુ દ્વૈપાયન ભગવાન વ્યાસ આસન પરથી ઊભા થયા અને રાજાનો હાથ પકડી રાજભવનમાં પ્રવેશ્યા.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the normative hierarchy in dharma: royal power is guided and legitimized by spiritual authority. The sage’s act of taking the king by the hand symbolizes counsel, restraint, and the king’s willingness to be led by dharmic wisdom rather than mere sovereignty.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a transition: Vyāsa rises and physically leads the king into the palace. This movement typically introduces a private or consequential exchange, marking a shift from public setting to an interior space where decisive counsel or events may follow.