Shloka 21
Saṃjaya’s Warning to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Accountability, Alliance-Shift, and the Pāṇḍava Strategic Edge
तव पुत्रो महाराज नानुशोचितुमहसि । द्यूतकाले मया चोक्त विदुरेण च धीमता
tava putro mahārāja nānuśocitum arhasi | dyūtakāle mayā coktaṃ vidureṇa ca dhīmatā ||
संजय बोले—महाराज, तुम्हें अपने पुत्र के लिए शोक नहीं करना चाहिए। द्यूत-क्रीड़ा के समय मैंने और बुद्धिमान् विदुर ने भी तुम्हें यही कहा था।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must not indulge blind attachment and repetitive grief; he must act responsibly by restraining wrongdoing—especially when wise counsel has already warned of the consequences.
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra, reminding him that during the dice-game both he and Vidura had advised the king to control Duryodhana. He urges Dhṛtarāṣṭra to stop lamenting and instead curb Duryodhana’s hostile conduct toward the Pāṇḍavas.