Shloka 17
धृतराष्ट्रस्य सत्कारः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Honored in the Post-war Court
अकरोद् बन्धमोक्षं च वध्यानां मोक्षणं तथा । न च धर्मसुतो राजा कदाचित् किंचिदब्रवीत्
akrod bandhamokṣaṃ ca vadhyānāṃ mokṣaṇaṃ tathā | na ca dharmasuto rājā kadācit kiṃcid abravīt ||
Ia membebaskan para tawanan dari penjara, bahkan melepaskan mereka yang layak dihukum mati dengan menganugerahkan pengampunan nyawa. Namun Raja Yudhiṣṭhira, putra Dharma, tak pernah sekalipun mengucapkan sepatah kata pun sebagai keberatan atas belas kasih itu.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds royal compassion and restraint: even when punishment is legally warranted, mercy may be exercised, and Yudhiṣṭhira—renowned for dharma—does not censure such clemency, suggesting an ethical preference for forgiveness and humane governance when possible.
Vaiśampāyana reports that a ruler (contextually, the acting authority) was releasing prisoners and sparing even those condemned to death; Yudhiṣṭhira, though king and guardian of dharma, does not protest or rebuke this practice.