Shloka 73
सर्वथा त्वेतदुचितं दुर्बलेषु बलीयसाम् । अनादरोडविरोधश्व प्रणिपाती हि दुर्बल:
sarvathā tv etad ucitaṃ durbaleṣu balīyasām | anādaro 'virodhaś ca praṇipātī hi durbalaḥ ||
બળવાનોએ દુર્બળો પ્રત્યે આદર ન રાખવો—એ જ સર્વથા ‘ઉચિત’ ગણાય છે; અને દુર્બળો પણ વિરોધ કરતા નથી. ખરેખર દુર્બળ તો એ જ છે, જે સદા નમવા તૈયાર રહે।
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reflects a hard political-ethical observation: power often breeds disregard for the powerless, and weakness is marked by habitual submission and inability (or unwillingness) to resist. It implicitly warns that dignity and agency are essential to avoid being treated with contempt.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking during the Udyoga Parva’s tense pre-war negotiations and counsel, articulating a realistic assessment of how the strong tend to behave toward the weak and how the weak, by constant capitulation, invite further disregard.