Adhyāya 33: Rauhiṇeya (Balarāma) is welcomed and takes his seat to witness the gadā-engagement
राजा च धृतराष्ट्रोड्द्य श्रुत्वा पुत्र मया हतम् | स्मरिष्यत्यशुभं कर्म यत् तच्छकुनिबुद्धिजम्
rājā ca dhṛtarāṣṭro ’dya śrutvā putraṃ mayā hatam | smariṣyaty aśubhaṃ karma yat tac chakuni-buddhijam ||
संजय बोले—“आज मेरे हाथों उसका पुत्र मारा गया”—यह सुनकर राजा धृतराष्ट्र शकुनि की सलाह से किए हुए अपने अशुभ कर्मों को स्मरण करेगा।
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights moral accountability: even if one acts under another’s counsel, the ethical burden of one’s deeds remains one’s own, and the fruits of adharma return as grief and self-reproach.
Sanjaya anticipates Dhritarashtra’s reaction upon hearing that a son has been killed; the news will trigger Dhritarashtra’s remembrance of earlier wrongful choices influenced by Shakuni, implying a chain of causation leading to the present catastrophe.